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Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2012  with  funding  from 

University  of  North  Carolina  at  Chapel  Hill 


http://archive.org/details/boytravellersincknox 


•   SaWR^ 


PREFACE. 


The  preceding  volume  of  this  series  {The  Boy  Travellers  in  Northern 
Europe)  left  our  young  friends  at  Stockholm,  engaged  in  giving  a  welcome  to 
Doctor  Bronson,  who  had  just  arrived  from  London.  Having  seen  the  Northern 
lands  of  Europe,  it  was  naturally  the  case  that  Mrs.  Bassett  and  Mary  desired 
to  visit  the  countries  of  the  central  part  of  the  Continent  ;  consequently,  the 
journey  described  in  the  present  volume  was  planned  and  made,  and  we  have 
sought  to  give  a  faithful  account  of  what  the  tourists  saw  and  heard  during 
their  wanderings.  Mrs.  Bassett  and  Mary  were  the  constant  companions  of 
Frank  and  Fred  ;  the  former  shows  that  she  has  profited  much  by  her  ex- 
periences of  foreign  lands  and  people,  and  the  latter  makes  daily  demonstra- 
tion of  her  intelligence,  careful  reading,  and  keenness  of  observation  to  an 
extent  that  might  justify  a  change  of  title  to  "  The  Boy  and  Girl  Travellers 
in  Central  Europe."  But  as  the  planning  of  their  routes,  together  with  all 
the  details  of  the  journey,  is  left  to  Frank  and  Fred,  we  will  adhere  to  the 
old  name  for  the  book. 

The  scheme  that  has  been  followed  in  preparing  the  other  volumes  of 
"  The  Boy  Travellers"  is  continued  in  the  present  record,  and  the  readers  of 
"  Central  Europe  "  will  find  the  same  characters,  and  the  same  general  form  of 
talk,  observation,  and  journal-making  that  they  found  in  "  Great  Britain  and 
Ireland"  and  "Northern  Europe."  Doctor  Bronson  is  less  conspicuous  than 
before,  as  his  professional  and  business  engagements  kept  him  away  from  the 
party  for  the  most  of  the  time,  but  he  had  no  hesitation  in  trusting  the  details 
of  the  journey  to  Frank  and  Fred.  The  devotion  of  the  two  youths  to  the 
comfort  and  pleasure  of  Mrs.  Bassett  and  Mary  is  worthy  of  the  highest 
admiration,  and  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  mother  and  daughter 
thoroughly  enjoyed  the  journey  from  its  first  day  to  its  last. 

The  author  has  taken  the  same  care  to  insure  historical  and  geographical 
accuracy  in  this  account  of  Central  Europe  that  he  took  in  previous  volumes 
of  "The  Boy  Traveller"  series.  Should  errors  be  found,  he  trusts  that  they 
will  be  attributed  to  the  authorities  consulted  rather  than  to  negligence  in  the 
work  of  consultation.  Wherever  discrepancies  occur  in  the  authorities  the 
writer  has  given  the  preference  to  those  of  greatest  weight,  or  to  those  whose 
statements  seemed  to  be  confirmed  by  other  events. 

696700 


iv  PREFACE. 

Nearly  all  of  the  routes  described  in  this  book  have  been  personally 
travelled  by  the  author,  and  some  of  them  more  than  once,  and  nearly  every 
city,  town,  or  other  place  of  interest  which  lias  been  visited  by  The,  JJoi/ 
Travellers  in  Centred  Europe  was  previously  visited  by  him.  As  far  as  possi- 
ble he  has  aimed  to  speak  from  personal  knowledge,  but  he  has  not  hesitated  to 
use  the  work  of  other  travellers  over  the  same  ground,  and  believes  that  he 
has  done  so  to  the  advantage  of  the  reader.  The  authorities  thus  drawn  upon, 
whether  books  or  individuals,  have  been  mentioned  in  the  pages  of  the  volume, 
and  need  not  be  repeated  in  the  preface.  Statistical  information  concerning 
populations,  manufactures,  commerce,  military  and  naval  forces,  and  the  like, 
have  been  obtained  from  official  sources,  or,  where  such  were  lacking,  from 
the  most  authentic  of  nou- official  publications.  Dimensions  of  buildings, 
parks,  etc.,  heights  of  mountains,  and  kindred  measurements  have  been  taken 
from  guide-books,  either  general  or  local,  and  in  some  cases  from  measure- 
ments personally  made  by  the  author  during  his  visits  to  the  places  described. 

The  writer  hereby  tenders  his  acknowledgments  to  the  courtesy  of  Messrs. 
Harper  &  Brothers  for  the  privilege  of  using  such  of  the  illustrations  as 
were  originally  prepared  for  other  of  their  publications. 

With  this  brief  explanation  of  the  manner  in  which  the  story  of  the 
journey  through  Central  Europe  has  been  prepared,  the  author  submits  it  to 
critics  and  readers,  including  alike  the  friends  of  the  amiable  Mrs.  Bassett, 
and  the  school  companions  of  Frank,  Fred,  and  Mary,  with  the  hope  that  it 
may  receive  the  same  kindly  and  generous  greeting  accorded  to  other 
volumes  that  describe  the  wanderings  and  give  the  observations  of  "  The 
Bov  Travellers." 

T.  W.  K. 

New  York,  July,  1893. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER    I. 


From  England  to  France. — Normandy  Boats  of  an  Ancient  Type.  —  Approaching  Havre. — 
The  French  Coast  near  the  Mouth  of  the  Seine.  —  Light-hocse  at  Sainte- Adresse. — 
Meeting  an  Ocean  Steamer. — High  Tide  at  Hatre. — Entering  the  Port. — The  Semaphore 
and  Signal  Station. — Full  Name  of  the  City. —  In  the  Custom-house.  —  The  Economical 
American,  and  How  He  Avoided  the  Duty  on  Cigars.  —  Cleansing  Power  of  Tides  Il- 
lustrated.—  A  Coachman's  Attempt  at  Fraud.  —  Frascati's.  —  Scenes  at  the  Bathing- 
place. — Mary  Tells  her  Experience. — An  Amusing  Regulation Page  1 

CHAPTER    II. 

A  Drive  in  the  Suburbs  of  Havre.  —  Sainte -Adresse  and  the  Light-house. — Villas,  Gar- 
dens, and  Other  Suburban  Attractions.  —  Houses  of  Alphonse  Karr  and  Sara  Bern- 
hardt.—  Monument  to  General  Desnouettes  and  its  Practical  Uses.  —  An  Amusing 
Incident. — An  Evening  Walk  along  the  Streets  and  Quays. — The  Rue  de  Paris.  —  In 
the  Fish-market. — The  Fishing  Folks  of  Normandy;  Their  Origin,  Occupation,  and  Pe- 
culiarities.—  Visit  to  a  Fishing  Village. — Interior  of  Fishers'  Houses.  —  Musseling 
and  Shrimping.  —  A  Fish  Auction. — Hauling  Boats  on  Shore.  —  Harfleur  and  Havre 
Contrasted.  —  The  Docks  of  Havre;  Their  Extent  and  Cost.  —  Departure  of  an  Ocean 
Steamship.— "  C.  G.  T." 19 

CHAPTER    III. 

Complex  Rules  of  the  "C.  G.  T."  —  Tariff  for  Dogs,  Monkeys,  and  Parrots.  —  Commerce  of 
Havre. — Women  Unloading  Ships. — "  Paul  and  Virginia." — Monument  to  its  Author. — 
Ancient  Houses   in   Havre.  —  John   Law  and  the   South  Sea    Bubble. — New    Use    for 

Logwood. — Why  American  Cider  is  Sent  to  France. — French  Exploration  of  the  New 

• 

World.  —  Jacques  Cartier  and  Other  Navigators.  —  From  Havre  to  Trocville.  —  The 
Most  Fashionable  of  Sea-side  Resorts.  —  The  Beach  and  the  Rules  for  Bathing. — 
Scenes  at  the  Bathing  Hour.  —  Mishap  to  Bathers  and  the  Result.  —  The  Beach  at 
Low  Tide. — The  Casino  in  the  Evening. — Dancing  and  Gaming 39 

CHAPTER    IV. 

The  Children's  Ball  at  the  Casino  of  Trouville. — Advantages  of  Early  Training  in  Po- 
liteness.— Gaming  at  the  Casino. — Courriers  and  Les  Petits  Chevaux.  — ■  Scenes  in  the 
Gaming-rooms.  —  Deauville  ;  Its  Origin  and  History.  —  Duke  de  Morny.  —  Trouville 
Races.  —  Views  of  the  Racing-grounds  and  Incidents  of  the  Races.  —  Costumes  of  the 


vi  CONTENTS. 

Belles.  —  English  Visitors  and  their  Wagers. — Pool-selling. — Visit  to  the  Castle  of 
Bonneville. — Reminiscences  oe  William  the  Conqueror. —  How  He  Invaded  England. — 
Battle  of  Hastings  and  Death  oe  Harold.  —  Dives  and  Caen.  —  A  Norman  Funeral. — 
Rouen. — The  Cathedral.  —  Mrs.  Bassett's  Mistake.  —  Richard  the  Lion-hearted.  —  Mu- 
seum of  Antiquities  and  What  was  Seen  There Page  58 

CHAPTER    V. 

Something  about  Joan  of  Arc  ;  Her  Birthplace  and  Early  Life  ;  The  Supernatural  Voices  ; 
Her  Visit  to  the  Governor;  Presentation  to  the  King;  She  Leads  the  Army  to  Bat- 
tle ;  Defeats  the  English  ;  Hep.  Wonderful  Military  Career  ;  Personal  Influence  with 
Court  and  Army;  Capture,  Trial  for  Sorcery,  Condemnation,  and  Death;  The  Place 
Where  She  was  Burned. — From  Rouen  to  Paris.  —  Chateau  Gaillard  and  its  History. 
— Henry  of  Navarre. — Arrival  at  Paris. —  Reminiscence  of  the  Doctor.  —  Frank's  Ob- 
servations on  their  First  Day  in  Paris.  —  The  Streets  and  Cafes.  —  Cafe  Tortoni. — 
Champs-Elysees,  Bois  de  Boulogne,  and  Church  of  Notre  Dame 75 

CHAPTER    VI. 

The  Bastile;  What  Remains  of  It  To-day:  Its  History  and  Uses;  Capture  and  Destruc- 
tion.—  Lettres  de  Cachet.  —  Lafayette  and  the  Key  of  the  Bastile. — The  Louvre; 
Its  History. — Catherine  de  Medicis  and  the  Palace  of  the  Tuileries  ;  Burning  of  the 
Palace  in  1871.  —  A  Chat  About  the  Communists. —  Communes  of  17S9  and  1S71. — The 
Corps  Legislatif.  —  Chamber  of  Depcties  in  Session.  —  Gambetta.  —  An  Old  Senator. — 
How  the  French  President  is  Chosen. — The  Vendome  Column  and  Something  About  It. 
—  The  Fatal  Photograph.  —  The  Invalides  and  the  Tomb  of  Napoleon.  —  A  Bit  of 
Moralizing 9-t 

CHAPTER   VII. 

Visit  to  the  Bois  de  Vincennes.  —  A  Military  Review. — Historic  Interest  of  the  Chateau 
of  Vincennes. — The  French  Army  ;  Its  Strength  and  Composition  ;  The  Active  Army  and 
the  Various  Classes  of  Reserves  ;  Evolutions  on  the  Field  ;  The  Grand  Manoxyres  ; 
How  they  are  Conducted;  A  Sham  Battle;  An  Impolitic  General,  and  What  Happened 
to  Him. — The  French  Navy;  The  First  Armored  Ships  of  War,  and  Who  Made  Them; 
How  the  Navy  is  Manned.  —  Cemetery  of  Pere  La  Chaise  ;  Tombs  of  Famous  People  ; 
Story  of  Abelard  and  Heloise  ;  A  Walk  Through  the  Cemetery. — The  Guillotine  and 
its  Inventor. — Prison  of  La  Roquette. — Place  de  la  Republique. — Market  of  the  Temple. 
— Markets  of  Paris  in  General 112 

CHAPTER    VIII. 

Les  Halles  Centrales,  the  Great  Market  of  Paris;  Its  Extent  and  Character;  How  it  is 
Managed  ;  What  the  Visitors  Saw. — Daily  Consumption  of  Food. — The  Octroi  ;  Irs  Ori- 
gin and  Uses. — The  Comedie  Francaise. — Buying  Tickets. — Antiquity  of  the  Theatre. — 
A  Reminiscence  of  Louis  XIV. — Organization  of  the  Company. — Curious  Customs. — "The 
Triple  Knock.''  —  A  View  of  the  Greenroom  and  Foyer.  —  The  Government  Subsidy. — 
"Hernani." — An  American's  Mistake.  —  General  Management  of  the  Theatre.  —  Famous 
French  Comedians. — The  New  Opera-house;  Mary's  Account  of  What  they  Saw  There. 
—A  Water  Circus 131 


CONTENTS.  vii 

CHAPTER    IX. 

A  Visit  to  the  Salon. — Something  About  French  Art. — Collections  of  the  Louvre  and  the 
Luxembourg.  —  Art  Students  in  Paris.  —  Schools  of  Art.  —  Minister  of  Fine  Arts  and 
His  Duties. —  Pictures  Bought  by  Government. — Distinctive  Characteristics  of  French 
Art. — Noted  French  Artists  of  To-dat. — A  Visit  to  a  Famous  Studio. — Ecouen,  and  the 
Artists  There. — Edouard  Frere. — School  of  the  Legion  of  Honor. — Mary's  Account  of 
their  Visit  to  Ecouen.  —  Peasant  Life.  —  Excursions  in  the  Country.  —  Education  in 
France.  —  How  the  Schools  are  Conducted.  —  Religious  Denominations  and  Their  Al- 
lowances from  Government. — Changes  Among  the  Peasantry Page  150 

CHAPTER    X. 

One  of  the  "  Immortals  ;"  Mrs.  Bassett's  Doubts  Concerning  Him. — The  French  Academy,  and 
the  Institute  of  France;  Attending  a  Meeting  of  the  Academy.  —  Description  of  the 
"Immortals."  —  The  Illustrious  Forty,  Advantages  of  Membership  and  Difficulty  of 
Obtaining  It  ;  How  Elections  are  Conducted. — The  Academy  of  Sciences. — The  Famous 
Dictionary  ;  Twelve  Hundred  Years  for  Its  Completion. — A  Gathering  of  Distinguished 
Frenchmen.  —  Proceedings  at  a  Meeting.  —  Place  and  Arch  of  the  Carrousel.  —  The 
Porte  Saint-Denis  and  Porte  Saint-Martin.  —  A  Dissertation  on  Triumphal  Arches. — 
Visit  to  the  Arc  de  Triomphe  de  l'Etoile. — Reminiscences  of  the  Siege  of  1871    .     .  167 

CHAPTER   XI. 

The  Greatest  Auction-room  in  the  World. —Visit  to  the  Hotel  Drouot. —  The  "Mazas." — 
Requirements  of  the  Law  Concerning  Bankrupt  Sales. — Court-yard  of  the  Hotel. — The 
Auctioneers  and  Their  Assistants. — The  Crieur  and  His  Duties. — Experts,  and  Some  of 
their  Blunders. —  A  Bit  of  Acting. —  Percentages  upon  Sales.  —  Great  Transactions  in 
Valuable  Articles. — Famous  Auctions. — Amounts  Realized  at  the  Demidoff  and  Other 
Sales. — Hotel  Figaro. — A  Chat  About  Parisian  Newspapers. — Treatment  of  the  Press 
by  Different  Governments. — What  the  Papers  Contain.  —  Editorial  Duellists. —  Duels 
in  General. — French  Views  of  Personal  Combat 184 

CHAPTER   XII. 

The  Eiffel  Tower  ;  Its  Height  and  Dimensions  ;  Comparison  with  the  Washington  Monu- 
ment ;  Plans  for  Its  Construction  ;  How  the  Cost  was  Defrayed  ;  Triumph  of  the  Rivet 
in  Building  ;  How  the  Ascent  is  Made. — Elevators  of  American  and  French  Construc- 
tion.— The  Traveller  who  Wanted  to  Go  to  "  Complet." — A  Mixed  Assemblage. — Scenes 
on  the  Different  Platforms. — Dinner  in  a  High  Place. — View  from  the  Upper  Story. 
— Effect  of  Wind  and  Rain. — Paris  at  Night  from  the  Tower. — An  Experience  in  So- 
ciety.— The  Salons  of  Paris  and  Their  Peculiarities. — Madame  Edmond  Adam  and  Her 
Receptions. — Anecdote  of  Gambetta. — Juliette  Lamber 203 

CHAPTER    XIII. 

An  Evening  Reception. — Jules  Simon  and  Other  Men  of  Note. — Conversation  at  the  Salon. 
— Some  Famous  Salons. — Dr.  Evans  and  His  House. — Reminiscences  of  the  Empress  Eu- 
genie; Her  Escape  from  Paris. — A  Chat  About  the  Empire  and  the  Napoleonic  Family. 
— A  Short  History  of  the  Coupd'Etat;    How  the  Plans  were  Laid  and  Carried  Out. 


Vlil  CONTENTS. 

— Victor  Hugo  and  Other  Exh.es. — Is  the  Great  Shops. — Mart's  Account  of  Shopping. 
— A  Dissertation  on  Fans. — How  a  Fraud  was  Detected. — Evolution  ok  the  Bonnet. — 
Fashions  in  Different  Years. — Birds  in  the  Gardens.— The  "Bird  Charmer"  .  Page  222 

CHAPTER    XIV. 

From  Paris  to  Dijon. — A  Misunderstanding. — Railway  Travel  in  France. — Arrangements  for 
Dining.  —  Dinner  on  the  Train. — Dijon;  Its  Interesting  Features. — The  Burgundy  Dis- 
trict.— Roman  Antiquities. — A  Kitchen  of  the  Middle  Ages. — Lyons. — TnE  Silk-weaving 
Industry. — Jacquard  and  His  Invention. — Heights  of  Fouryieres. — View  of  the  Rhone 
and  Saune. — Children's  Savings-banks.  —  Sights  of  Lyons. — Visit  to  a  Silk  Establish- 
ment.—  Castles  of  the  Rhone.  —  Steamer  versus  Railway.  —  Aix-les-Bains;  What  Our 
Friends  Saw  There. — Gorge  of  the  Rhone,  and  Mary's  Thoughts  Thereon. — Arrival  at 
Geneva 241 

CHAPTER    XV. 

The  Land  of  William  Tell. — Is  the  Story  of  Tell  a  Myth  ? — John  Calvin  and  His  Work  ; 
Short  Sketch  of  His  Life. — View  of  Mont  Blanc  ;  Height  of  the  Famous  Mountain. — St- 
Peter's  Church. — Pulpit  Where  Calvin  and  Knox  Preached. — Calvin's  Chair. — Seryetus 
Burned  at  the  Stake. — The  Eagles  of  Geneva. — The  Rhone  Laundry. — Fountain  of  the  Es" 
calade  and  Its  Origin. — How  the  Duke  of  Savoy  was  Defeated. — Swiss  Thrift  and  Econo- 
mies.— New  Way  of  Making  a  Hotel  Bill. — Rousseau's  Island. — Jean  Jacques  Rousseau. 
— Feeding  the  Swans. — Watch-making  at  Geneva. — Machine  versus  Hand  Labor  .     .  258 

CHAPTER    XVI. 

The  Canton  of  Geneva  ;  Sketch  of  Its  History  ;  Noted  Persons  Who  Have  Found  Refuge 
at  Geneva  ;  Population,  Religion,  and  Government. — Government  of  the  Swiss  Republic. 
— The  Army  and  Navy. — A  Swiss  Admiral.  —  Houses  of  Parliament,  and  Their  Rela- 
tions to  Each  Other. — Neutrality  of  Switzerland. — Russian  Nihilists. — Drives  Around 
Geneva. — Ferney  and  Voltaire. — Relics  of  the  Great  Philosopher. — Anecdotes  of  Vol- 
taire's Life. — Lake  Leman. — The  Steamer  Bonnivard. — The  Prisoner  of  Chillon. — Voy- 
age Along  the  Lake. — Reminiscences  of  Byron  and  Gibbon. — Ouchy  and  Lausanne   .  276 

CHAPTER    XVII. 

Vevay. — Graves  of  the  Regicides. — Scenes  in  the  Market. — Mary's  New  Hat. — Wine-making 
in  Canton  Vaud.  —  Gathering  the  Grapes. — Wine-pressing. — The  Great  Tun. —  Ceremo. 
nial  Festival  in  Good  Seasons.  —  Selection  of  Bacchus.  —  Hauteville  and  Blonay.  — 
Castles  for  Rent.  —  GnosTs  Free  of  Charge.  —  Legends  of  the  Castle.  —  How  a  Lover 
Won  a  Bride.  —  History  of  Canton  Vaud.  —  Louis  Agassiz.  —  Excursion  to  Chillon. — ■ 
Poetical  Recitations. — The  Poet's  License. — Clarens  and  Montrecx. — Facts  Concerning 
Bonnivard  and  His  Family-. — The  Dungeon  of  Seven  Pillars 294 

CHAPTER    XVIII. 

The  Castle  of  Chillon;  Its  Antiquity. — The  Lake-dwellers  of  Switzerland;  Who  They 
Were  and  How  They  Lived. — Louis  le  Debonair. — The  Counts  of  Savoy. — Siege  of  the 
Castle.  —  Illustrious  Prisoners  of  Different  Times.  —  Hall  of  the  Knights.  —  William 


CONTENTS.  IX 

BOLOMIER. — BoNNITARD. — INSTRUMENTS  OF  ToRTURE. — THE  PaTH   WORN  BT  BoXSITARD'S  FEET  ; 

Inspection  of  His  Dungeon. — The  Little  Isle. — Villeneute  ;  Sights  to  be  Seen  There. — 
Sheep,  Goats,  and  Cows. — Mountain  Pastures. — Fountains  of  Villeneute. — Washing  in 
the  Lake.  —  A  Ride  by  Railway. — Valley  of  the  Rhone. — Martigny. —  The  Landlord's 
Philosophy Page  313 

CHAPTER    XIX. 

From  Martigny  to  Chamouni.  —  How  They  "Change  Horses"  in  Switzerland.  —  Pass  of  the 
Great  Saint-Bernard. — -Who  was  St.  Bernard?  — Life  at  the  Hospice  in  the  Pass. — ■ 
Dogs  of  the  Saint-Bernard. — Origin  of  the  Stock. — How  the  Hospice  is  Maintained. — 
A  Mean  Streak  of  Human  Nature.  —  How  Our  Friends  Trayelled  by  Wagon.  —  The 
Driyer's  Trick. — Tete  Noir  Hotel. —  Chamouni. —  Studying  Mont  Blanc. — Monument  to 
Jacques  Balmat.  —  Difficulties  and  Dangers  of  the  Ascent  of  Mont  Blanc.  —  Ca- 
tastrophe to  a  Party  Caught  in  a  Storm. —  Dr.  Beane's  Note-book. — Guides  Thrown 
into  a  Creyasse.  —  Montanyert  and  the  Mer  de  Glace.  —  Mary's  Account  of  the  Ex- 
cursion Thither 333 

CHAPTER    XX. 

souyenirs  of  switzerland. — wood-caryings  and  alpenstocks. — interesting  souyenir  of  tray- 
els  that  Were  Not  Made.  —  Excursion  to  the  Flegere.  —  Chamouni  to  Geneya  and 
Berne. — The  Swiss  Capital. — Haunt  of  the  Bears. — The  Cathedral  and  Its  Terrace. — - 
View  of  the  Mountains  of  the  Bernese  Oberland. — The  "After-glow." — Curious  Fount- 
ains.— Procession  of  the  Bears.' — Visit  to  the  Bear-pits;  How  the  Animals  are  Fed. — 
The  Chamois,  and  How  He  is  Hunted. — Burgdorf  and  Pestalozzi. — Bale. — On  the  Banks 
of  the  Rhine. — Cathedral  and  Museum. — Hans  Holbein 351 

CHAPTER    XXI. 

Meeting  Old  Friends.  —  The  Chapman  Family.  —  Excursion  to  the  Falls  of  the  Rhine.  — 
A  Division  into  Two  Parties. — What  Frank  and  Fred  Saw.  —  Lake  Constance. — Sum- 
mer Homes  of  Noted  Persons.  —  Queen  Hortense.  —  An  Unhappy  Life. — Martyrdom  of 
John  Huss. — The  Great  Council  and  Its  Hall. — Ragatz  and  Pfaffers. — In  a  Hot  Cav- 
ern.— The  Wallensee. — Zurich. — Sight-seeing  and  Dress-making. — Up  the  Rigi. — Mart's 
Account  of  What  They  Saw  There.  —  The  Rigi  Railway.  —  Ascent  by  Cog-wheels. — 
Sunrise  on  the  Rigi. — The  Alpine  Horn.  —  General  View  from  the  Summit.  —  Lake  of 
the  Four  Cantons. — Lucerne 369 

CHAPTER    XXII. 

Scenery  of  Lake  Lucerne. — William  Tell. — Springs  of  the  Rutli. — Tell's  Chapel. — Doubts 
Concerning  the  Tell  Traditions. — The  Axenstrasse. — Saint  Gothard  Railway  and  Tun- 
nel.— A  Spiral  Railway. — How  the  Saint  Gothard  Tunnel  was  Built. — Machine-drills 
and  their  work. — exactness  of  engineering. — how  the  two  ends  of  the  tunnel  met 
in  the  Mountain. — Certain  Terms  Explained. — Inspecting  the  Tunnel. — Air-locomotites, 
and  How  They  are  Made. — Longest  Tunnels  in  the  World. — A  Telegram  from  Doctor 
Bronson. — The  Arlberg  Tunnel. — From  Lucerne  to  Innsbruck. — The  Engadine  Vallet. — 
Arrital  at  Innsbruck 386 


X  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER   XXIII. 

Innsbruck  and  Irs  Situation. — The  Mountains  and  the  Valley  of  the  Inn. — Goldknes  Daciil. 
— Count  Frederick  ok  Tyrol;  His  Empty  Pockets.— Maximilian  I,  and  the  Remarkable 

Monument  to  His  Memory.  —  Bronze  Statues. — A  Scrap  ok  History.  —  Andreas  Hofkr, 
and  What  He  Dip. — Tvrolesk  Patriots. — Ferdinand  II. — The  Castle  of  Amras. — Tyrol- 
ese  Paintings. — Defregoer  and  His  Work. — Wrestling  and  Finger-hacking. — Native  Cos- 
tumes.— Bride  from  the  Grodner  Thal. — Grodnkr  Tiial  and  Its  Industries. — Difficulties  of 
Farming. — Wood-carving. — Zither-playing. — The  Brenner  Pass  and  Railway   .   Page  404 

CHAPTER    XXIV. 

From  Innsbruck  to  Botzen. — The  Inn  and  the  Sill. — The  Valley  that  Leads  to  the  Summit. — 
"The  Two  Streams." — Alpine  Railway  Construction. — Tunnels  Along  the  Route. — Xoyel 
Suggestion  for  Utilizing  Tunnels. — Frank's  Little  Story. — Mrs.  Bassett's  Doubts. — Bot- 
zen  and  Its  Peculiarities. — A  Region  of  Castles. — Schloss  Tyrol. — Meran. — From  Botzen 
to  Munich. — A  Chat  About  Austria. — The  Government  and  People. — Composition  of  the 
Austro-Hungarian  Monarchy. — Emperor  and  King. — How  the  Union  was  Brought  About. 
■ — Parliaments,  Army  and  Navy,  and  Other  Matters. — A  Little  War  of  Words      .     423 

CHAPTER   XXV. 

Art  Treasures  of  Munich. — Public  Buildings  Devoted  to  Art. — "The  Destruction  of  Jeru- 
salem," and  Other  Famous  Pictures. — Kaulbach,  Piloty,  and  Other  Artists  of  the  Mu- 
nich School.  —  Piloty  and  the  King.  —  The  Royal  Blunder,  and  What  Came  ok  It. — 
Gabriel  Max,  and  "The  Lion's  Bride." — Hans  Makart;  His  Style  of  Work. — Academy 
of  Fine  Arts. — Art  Students  in  Munich  ;  Their  Number,  and  How  They  Live. — The  Car- 
nival Ball. — Students  with  Fortunes. — Statue  of  "Bavaria,"  and  the  Hall  of  Fame. — 
The  Fracenkirche  and  Its  Monuments. — The  National  Museum  and  Its  Contents. — Ba- 
varia, and  Its  Relations  to  the  German  Empire. — Army,  Religion,  Schools,  etc. — Indus- 
tries ok  Munich. — A  Beer-cellar  with  a  History 441 

CHAPTER    XXVI. 

From  Munich  to  Salzburg. — Short  Historical  Note. — The  Birthplace  of  Mozart  ;  Anecdotes 
of  the  Great  Composer;  The  Mozart  Museum;  The  Musician's  First  Performances;  His 
Requiem  Mass. —  The  Monchsberg  and  Eapczinerberg.  —  Fortress  ok  Hohen-Salzburg. — 
Excursion  to  Berchtesgaden  and  the  Konigs-See. —  A  Ride  on  the  Lake. —  The  Famous 
Echo. — A  Breakeast  upon  Trout  prom  the  Lake. — Fish  Stories. — Visit  to  the  Salt-mines. 
—Our  Friends  in  Mining  Costume.  —  Down  "The  Slides." — Pools  in  the  Mountain. —  A 
Walk  Through  the  Galleries. — Riding  on  the  Tramway. — A  Subterranean  Illumination. 
— Reichenhall  and  Its  "Cures." — The  Gaisberg  and  Hellbrunn 459 

CHAPTER    XXVII. 

From  Salzburg  to  Linz. — Down  the  Danube. — Navigation  on  the  "Beautikul  Blue"  Rivfr. 
— Poetic  License. — Castles,  and  Traditions  About  Them. — The  Abbey  of  Melk. — A  Ger- 
man Joke, — Arrival  at  Vienna;  First  View  ok  the  City.  —  The  Ringstrasse;  How  It 
Originated. — The  Rings  ok  Vienna. — St.  Stephen's  Church. — Antiquity  ok  Vienna. — The 


CONTENTS.  xi 

VlNDOBONA    OF   THE    ROMANS. —  HOUSE    OF    HaPSBURG-LoRRAINE. — An    UNBROKEN    LlNE    OF    SlX 

Centuries. — In  a  Cafe-restaurant. — Viennese  Customs.  —  Perplexities  for  Strangers. — 
Doctor  Branson's  Story  of  1873. — The  Zahl-kellner  and  His  Duties. —  Honesty  of  the 
Viennese. — Shopping  on  the  Graben. — Russia-leather  Goods Page  476 

CHAPTER    XXVIII. 

In  the  Kohlmarkt.  —  Hofburg.  —  Amalienhof.  —  Rittersaal.  —  The  Imperial  Library,  and 
What  was  Seen  There. — -The  Treasury.  —  The  Florentine  Diamond  and  Its  History. — 
Charlemagne's  Imperial  Regalia. — The  Golden  Fleece. — Burg  Theatre. — Terrible  Dis- 
aster at  the  Ring  Theatre. — A  Drive  to  the  Prater. — In  the  Great  Park  of  Vienna. 
— Antiquity  of  the  Prater;  Its  History  for  800  Years. — Haupt-Allee  and  Nobel- 
prater. — An  Aristocratic  Resort. — Constantine  Hill. — A  View  of  the  Emperor. — Chat 
About  the  Imperial  Family.  —  The  Wurstel-prater. —  Popular  Amusements.  —  Votive 
Church. — The  Empress 493 

CHAPTER    XXIX. 

The  Imperial  Opera-house,  Vienna  ;  Exterior  and  Interior  of  the  Building;  The  Audience  and 
the  Performance;  Statuary  and  Decorations;  Madame  Materna;  Rules  of  the  Manage- 
ment; Feminine  Orchestras;  Mrs.  Bassett's  Views  Concerning  Them. — The  University  of 
Vienna. — "The  Lines." — Siege  of  Vienna  by  the  Turks. — Scraps  of  History. — Extension 
of  Modern  Vienna. — A  Baker's  Discovery. — The  Kahlenberg.  —  From  Vienna  to  Bcda- 
Pesth  by  River. — Presburg  and  Komorn. — Buda-Pesth. — The  Twin  Cities,  and  How  They 
Were  United. — Royal  Palace,  and  Other  Bcildings. — Hot  Springs  and  Baths. — Margarej 
Island. — The  Opera. — Hungarian  Dishes,  Dances,  and  Xobility. — The  End  ....  512 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE 

Norman  Fishing  and  Market  Boat 1 

On  the  Normandy  Coast 3 

Yachting  in  the  Channel 5 

The  Captain's  Post  on  the  Bridge 6 

The  Entrance-port  of  Havre 7 

Along  the  Rocks  and  Sands 9 

An  Economical  Arrangement 11 

On  the  Beach  at  Frascati's 13 

A  Hard  Road  to  Travel 14 

In  the  Hands  of  a  Baigneur 15 

In  the  Cafe 17 

A  Twilight  Effect 19 

Votive  Offering  at  the  Church 21 

Light-houses  Near  Havre 22 

In  the  Fields  Near  the  City 23 

Waiting  for  the  Tide 25 

Fisherwomen 27 

Return  of  the  Mussel-gatherers 29 

A  Shrimper 31 

Watching  for  the  Boat 33 

A  Norman  Interior 35 

In  the  Harbor 36 

A  Captain  of  the  "  C.  G.  T." 38 

A  Passenger  for  Fifty  Francs 39 

Men  and  Women  Unloading  a  Steamer ....  41 

Travel  by  Water— Old  Ways  and  New 43 

Caricature  of  John  Law — Amsterdam,  1720  45 

Mending  Nets  at  Low  Tide 47 

Landing  of  a  French  Expedition  in  the  New 

World.     (From  an  old  print.) 4S 

Jacques  Cartier 49 

On  the  Lookout  at  Trouville 50 

The  Bathing  Hour 53 

Amateur  Shrimpers 54 

The  Promenade 56 

Sunday  Morning  in  Normandy 57 

The  Windlass 58 


PAGE 

Table  of  the  "  Courriers  " 60 

At  the  Races  of  Trouville , 02 

Costumes  of  the  Natives , 64 

Ready  for  the  Race 65 

Ships  of  the  Time  of  William  the  Conqueror  67 

A  Fisherman  of  Cobourg 69 

The  Castle  of  Rouen  in  the  Fifteenth  Cen- 
tury   71 

Effigy  of  Richard  the  Lion-hearted 72 

A  Funeral  in  Normandy 73 

Credence  of  Jeanne  Dare's  Time 75 

Jeanne  Dare  Hearing  "  the  Voices  " 77 

Jeanne  Dare.     (Statue  by  M.  Chapu.) 78 

Joan  of  Arc  in  Battle 79 

Chateau  Gaillard 80 

Castle  Chamber  of  Fifteenth  Century 81 

Medal  of  the  Duke  of  Sully 82 

Chateau  of  Henry  IV 83 

Cafe  Tortoni,  Paris 85 

An  Old  Customer 86 

Cabaret  Du  Chat  Noir 89 

Riding  for  His  Health 91 

Part  of  Ancient  Church  Window,  Paris.  ...  93 

Key  of  the  Bastile 94 

The  Bastile.     (From  an  old  print.) 95 

Destruction  of  the  Bastile.     (From   an  old 

print.) 97 

The  Louvre  of  the  Time  of  Charles  V 99 

Marquis  de  Lafayette 100 

Meeting-place  of  the  Chamber  of  Deputies..  102 
M.  Gambetta  Presiding  Over  the  Chamber  of 

Deputies 104 

The  Palace  of  Luxembourg 105 

Vendome  Column  in   1840.     (From  an   old 

print.) 107 

Medal  Commemorating  Alliance  of  France 

and  the  United  States 109 


XIV 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGK 

Napoleon  as  First  Consul 1 10 

Medal  of  Napoleon,  as  King  of  Italy Ill 

The  Bugle  Call 112 

Marching  in  the  Rain Ill 

The  Company  Kitchen 1 1 5 

The  Scout 117 

The  "  Billet  de  Logement " 119 

The  Patrol 120 

The  Attack 121 

The  "Devastation."     (French  armored  ship 

of  the  first  class.) 123 

French  Ironclad  Ship  in  Dock 125 

Funeral  Procession  in  Paris 127 

Eugene  Scribe 128 

The  Temple.    (From  an  old  print.) 130 

Ticket-office  of  the  Comcdie  Franeaise 131 

Exterior  of  the  Comedie  Franchise 133 

Vestibule  of  the  Theatre 135 

Waiting  for  Her  Cue 137 

Dressing-room  of  an  Actress 13S 

The  Greenroom 139 

Stage-manager  Slaking  the  "Throe  Knocks"  141 

Hat  and  Cloak  Room 142 

Mounet-Sully  as  Hernani 143 

F.  Lemaitre  as  Robert  Macaire 144 

Staircase  of  the  New  Opera-house 146 

Ceiling  of  Auditorium — New  Opera-house  . .  148 

Jean  Louis  Meissonier 150 

"The  Advance  Guard."    (A.  de  Neuville.).  .  151 

"Expectation."     (Toulmouche.) 153 

"Return  of  the  Flock."     (Jacques.) 155 

"  The  Vedette."     (Meissonier.) 157 

Kosa  Bonheur 158 

"  Ploughing  in  Xivernais."    (Rosa  Bonheur.)  159 

Chateau  of  Ecouen 160 

Chialiva's  Studio,  Ecouen 161 

Street  in  Ecouen 163 

Gleaners  in  the  Fields 164 

Gossip  on  the  Road 166 

Voting  at  the  Institute  of  France 167 

Hats  of  the  French  Academy 169 

Dr.  Charcot 170 

A  Lecture  at  the  Academy  of  Sciences 171 

Arrival  of  Vice-admiral  Paris 173 

A  Distinguished  Member 174 

M.  Faye,  Astronomer 176 

Arc  du  Carrousel 17S 

On  the  Boulevard 180 


I'AGP 

Arc  de  l'Etoile 182 

"The  Retreat."     (Edouard  Detaillc.) 183 

M.  Chevalier,  Auctioneer 184 

An  Expert  in  Old  Coins 186 

A  Sale  in  the  Court-yard 187 

A  Private  View 189 

Dai  re,  the  Master  Crier 191 

A  Regular  Visitor 192 

A  Sale  in  the  "Mazas" 193 

An  Amateur 1 94 

Waiting  for  Business 195 

Editorial   Breakfast  at  the  Restaurant   Du 

Chat  Noir 197 

A  Buyer  of  Old  Books 198 

A  Serious  Duel 200 

Souvenirs  of  the  Tower 203 

Taking  the  Elevator 204 

On  the  Summit 206 

Writing  Letters 20S 

Chief  of  the  Guards 210 

A  Full  Window 211 

Paris  from  the  Fourth  Floor 212 

The  Tower  by  Night 214 

The  Salon  of  the  Countess  d'Agoult 215 

Gambetta's   First  Appearance    at    Madame 

Adam's  Salon 217 

Madame  Edmond  Adam  (Juliette  Lamber).  .  219 

Jules  Simon 222 

A  Corner  in  a  Salon 224 

Eugenie,  ex-Empress  of  France 227 

Police  Clearing  the  Boulevards  at  Night  .  .  .  22S 

The  Late  Prince  Imperial,  Napoleon  IV.  . .  .  229 

Victor  Hugo  and  His  Grandchildren 230 

Fan  iu  Time  of  Louis  XIV 232 

Fan  of  Louis  XV.  Period 233 

Bridal  Fan  by  Watteau.     (1709.) 234 

An  Autograph  Fan 235 

Bonnet  of  1787 236 

1795 237 

1S03 237 

1S20 238 

1856 23S 

1864 238 

1S77 239 

1SS1 239 

A  Pair  of  French  Sparrows 240 

Statue  of  Moses,  Dijon 241 

Statue  of  Jeremiah 242 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


XV 


Oar  Motive  Power 

Philip  the  Good,  Duke  of  Burgundy 

Ancient  Lace  in  the  Museum 

A  Narrow  Street 

Lyons 

Moonlight  Scene  Near  Lyons 

Castle  on  the  Rhone,  near  Valence 

Amphitheatre  at  NImes 

Roman  Baths  at  Nimes 

Woman  of  Aries 

Colosseum  at  Aries 

John  Calvin 

Old    Geneva,   Rousseau's    Isle,    and    Mont 

Blanc  Bridge 

Interior  of  St.  Peter's  Cathedral 

Geneva — New  City  and  Bridge  of  Mont  Blanc 

Eagles  of  Geneva 

Fountain  of  the  Escalade 

A  Street  Porter 

Trying  for  a  Fee 

Jean  Jacques  Rousseau 

Tower  of  Cresar,  and  the  Laundresses 

Skull  Watch  of  Mary  Stuart 

Lateen  Rig 

View  in  Old  Geneva 

Open-air  Parliament  in  Switzerland 

A  Nihilist  Family  at  Home 

Voltaire 

Voltaire's  House  at  Ferney 

Church  Built  by  Voltaire 

Steamboat  on  Lake  Leman 

Bonnivard 

Byron's  Villa,  Deodati 

Madame  de  Stael 

Lausanne 

Villa  of  the  Empress  Josephine 

Swiss  Railway  Servant 

Market-place  at  Vevay 

Gathering  Grapes  near  Vevay 

The  Wine-press 

Eating  Grapes 

Summer  Visitors  at  Montreux 

A  Group  of  Vaudois 

Louis  Agassiz 

A  Field  Near  Clarens 

The  Castle  of  Chiilon 

Bonnivard's  Dungeon 

Castle  of  Chiilon,  Land  Side 


PAGE 

244 
245 
246 
247 
248 
249 
251 
253 
255 
256 
257 


260 
262 
264 
266 
267 
268 
269 
271 
273 
275 


279 
281 
283 
2S5 
287 
288 
289 
290 
291 
292 
293 
294 
296 
297 
299 
301 
303 
305 
307 
309 
310 
311 
312 


PAGE 

Moat  Tower  of  Chiilon 313 

Vernex  and  Montreux 315 

A  Fountain  at  Villeneuve 316 

The  Prisoner  of  Chiilon 319 

Washing  Clothes  in  the  Lake 322 

Cattle  at  the  Fountain 324 

Post-office,  Villeneuve 325 

Flirtation  by  the  Water 327 

Outside  of  Villeneuve 328 

Archway  and  Sheep 329 

Valley  Scene 330 

Church  Terrace,  Montreux 332 

"Alpenstock " 333 

Mountain  and  Valley 334 

Saint-Bernard  Dog 336 

Swiss  Mountain  Road 338 

Rock  of  the  Grands  Mulets 340 

Mountains  of  Europe 341 

Mont  Blanc  from  the  Mer  de  Glace 343 

Mont  Blanc  and  Its  Neighbors 345 

Falling  into  a  Crevasse 347 

A  Difficult  Road 348 

Alpine  Roses 350 

A  Mountain  Climber    351 

The  Edelweiss 353 

A  Swiss  Village 354 

An  Arcade  in  Berne 356 

Fountain  of  the  Ogre 357 

Bear-pits  at  Berne 360 

Scene  in  a  Bernese  Cafe 361 

Animals  of  the  Alps 362 

The  Chamois 363 

Swiss  Farm-house 365 

Crossing  the  Rhine  by  Moonlight 366 

"  Nathan  Rebuking  David."     (Holbein.)  . . .  368 

Carving  in  Cathedral,  Bale 369 

Schaffhausen 370 

Arenenberg 372 

Castle  of  Mainau,  Lake  Constance 374 

Summer  Residence  of  German  Emperor. . . .  375 

Village  of  Pfiiffers,  near  Ragatz 376 

The  Wallen-See 378 

Cloister  of  Zurich  Cathedral 380 

Mount  Washington  Railway — Parent  of  the 

Rigi  Line 383 

Mountain  and  Valley *  .  .  .  384 

Drilling  Machine 386 

Village  Scene 388 


XVI 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE 

The  Axenstrasse 389 

.  Saint  Gotliard  Pass 391 

Air-compressor 392 

A  Street  in  Airolo 393 

Air-locomotive 395 

Cross-section  of  Gallery 396 

Longitudinal  Section  of  Gallery 397 

Section  of  Tunnel 398 

Bellinzona,  on  the  Saint  Gotliard  Route.  . . .  399 

Tyrolese  Peasant  Girl 4ol 

A  Valley  in  the  Tyrol 403 

Goldenes  Dachl 404 

Maria  Theresa  Strasse,  Innsbruck 40,3 

King  Arthur 407 

Andreas  Hofer 409 

Franz  Defregger , 410 

Philippine  Weiser,  Countess  of  Tyrol 411 

"Wrestling."  (From  a  painting  by  Defregger.)  412 
"  Finger-hacking."     (From  a  painting  by  De- 
fregger.)    413 

A  Grodner  Thai  Bride 414 

A  Wood-carver 415 

A  Mountain  Porter 417 

Tyrolese  Zither-players 418 

Saint  Uh'ieh,  Grodner  Thai 420 

Profile  of  the  Brenner  Railway 421 

The  Lang  Kofel,  Tyrolean  Alps 422 

Vineyard  Watch,  South  Tyrol 423 

A  Glacier  in  the  Tyrol 425 

Village  in  the  Mountains 427 

Parish  Church,  Botzen 429 

Meran 431 

Schloss  Tyrol 433 

Costume  of  Sarn  Thai,  Tyrol 435 

Tyrolese  Girl  Spinning 436 

Mountain  Pasture,  Tyrol 437 

Farm-house,  South  Tyrol 438 

Mountain  and  Lake,  South  Tyrol 440 

Wilhelin  von  Kaulbaeh 441 

The  "  Bush-ranger."     (F.  Dietz.) 443 

Karl  Thcodor  Piloty 444 

"  The  Lion's  Bride."    (By  Mas.) 446 

Gabriel  Max 447 

Hans  Makart 448 

"Fellah  Women  at  the  Fountain."    (Makart)  449 

Part  of  Tomb  of  Louis  the  Bavarian 451 

Ancient  Wood-carving  in  Munich  Museum  .  452 

Brooch  of  the  Eighth  Century 453 


Missal  of  Henry  II 

Antique  Chest  and  Pottery 

A  Fermenting  Cellar 

Costumes  of  the  Salt-mine 

Cloister  of  the  Nonnberg 

Johannes  Wolfgang  Amadeus  Mozart 

Antique  German  Stove 

The  Watzmann,  Overlooking  Berchtesgaden 
Boat-landing,  Kbnigs-See 


Kii 


_  ;-&ee 

!  Lake  in  Salt-mine,  Berchtesgaden 

Costumes  of  the  Ziller  Thai,  Tyrol 

Dining-room  in  the  Castle 

Cursalon  in  the  Stadtpark,  Vienna 

Plan  of  the  Ringstrasse 

Sehwarzenbergpliitz,  Vienna 

A  Party  at  Table 

Viennese  Waiters 

In  the  Stadtpark 

Rathhaus  (Town-hall) 

Cafe  Concert,  Vienna 

Radetzky  Bridge  and  Franz  Josef  Barracks. 

The  Imperial  Museums 

Elizabeth  Bridge  and  Karnthnerstrasse . . . . 

The  Florentine  Diamond 

The  "  Argo  '•' 

Hofburg  Theatre 

Viennese  Fiacre 

Promenade  in  the  Prater 

Francis  Joseph  II.,  Emperor  of  Austria.  .  .  . 

Shows  in  the  Wurstel-Prater 

The  Vienna  Stock-exchange 

The  Votive  Church 

Type  of  Viennoise 

A  Lady  Orchestra 

The  Imperial  Opera-house 

Elizabeth,  Empress  of  Austria 

Madame  Friedrich  Materna 

The  New  University 

Tiie  Parliament  House 

The  Kahlenberg 

Budapest.     (View   from    left    bank   of  the 

Danube.) 

Gypsy  Violinists 

Type  of  Ilongroise 

A  Hungarian  Magnate 

Promenade  on  Margaret  Island 

Dancing  the  "  Czardas  " 


PAGE 

454 
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4SO 
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60S 
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519 
521 
523 

525 
526 
527 
528 
529 
531 


THE    BOY    TRAVELLERS 


IN 


CENTRAL    EUROPE. 


CHAPTER  I. 


FROM  ENGLAND  TO  FRANCE.  —  NOEMANDY  BOATS  OF  AN  ANCIENT  TYPE.  —  AP- 
PROACHING HAVRE.— THE  FRENCH  COAST  XEAR  THE  MOUTH  OF  THE  SEINE— 
LIGHT-HOUSE  AT  SAINTE-ADRESSE.— MEETING  AN  OCEAN"  STEAMER.— HIGH  TIDE 
AT  HAVRE.— ENTERING  THE  PORT.— THE  SEMAPHORE  AND  SIGNAL  STATION.— 
FULL  NAME  OF  THE  CITY.— IX  THE  CUSTOM-HOUSE.— THE  ECONOMICAL  AMERI- 
CAN, AND  HOW  HE  AVOIDED  THE  DUTY  OX  CIGARS.— CLEANSING  POWER  OF 
TIDES  ILLUSTRATED.  —  A  COACHMAN'S  ATTEMPT  AT  FRAUD.  — FRASCATI'S.— 
SCENES  AT  THE  BATHING-PLACE.— MARY  TELLS  HER  EXPERIENCE.— AN  AMUS- 
ING REGULATION. 


*  W*i 


an   old  -  fashioned 
boat !" 

"  Yes,"  was  the  reply  ;  "  old 
enough  to  deserve  our  respect." 

"  What  is  it  ?" 

"  It's  a  fishing  and  market 
boat  from  Normandy,"  said  Doc- 
tor Bronson.  "  The  form  of  this 
vessel  is  very  much  what  it 
was  in  the  twelfth  century,  and 
the  rig  has  changed  very  little. 
These  boats  are  built  for  rough 
weather  rather  than  for  light 
breezes  ;  a  modern  yacht  would 

sail  away  from  her  very  rapidly,  but  the  sailors  on  this  clumsy-looking 
craft  would  not  hesitate  to  go  out  in  a  high  wind  when  the  ordinary 
yachtsman  would  prefer  to  stay  in  port." 

1 


NORMAN    FISHING    AND    MARKET    BOAT. 


2  THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

"  I  think  I  saw  two  or  three  of  these  boats  at  Southampton,  but  sup- 
posed they  were  English,"  Frank  remarked. 

"They  probably  came  from  Dieppe,  or  some  other  port  of  Nor- 
mandy," the  Doctor  answered.  "  These  boats  bring  vegetables  and 
other  produce  from  the  French  coast  for  the  English  market.  Some  of 
them  are  engaged  in  fishing,  but  it  is  proper  to  say  that  the  number  of 
these  craft  is  steadily  diminishing  year  by  year." 

"  Why  is  that  (" 

"  Because  of  the  large  number  of  men  required  to  handle  them  in 
proportion  to  the  size  of  the  vessel.  That  boat  you  are  looking  at  is 
about  a  hundred  tons  in  measurement,  and  requires  ten  or  twelve  men 
to  handle  her  properly  ;  six  or  eight  men  can  manage  a  craft  of  the 
same  tonnage  with  a  more  modern  rig ;  and  slow  as  these  people  are  to 
change  their  customs,  they  are  forced  to  do  so  in  order  to  save  money." 

This  conversation  occurred  on  the  deck  of  a  steamer  which  was 
crossing  the  English  Channel  from  Southampton  to  Havre.  Many  of 
our  readers  will  recognize  the  names  of  Doctor  Bronson.  and  that  of  his 
nephew,  Frank  Bassett,  whose  adventures  have  been  recorded  in  pre- 
vious volumes  of  the  "Boy  Travellers  Series."'-'' 

Fred  Bronson  joined  his  uncle  and  cousin  while  they  were  discussing 
the  peculiarities  of  the  boats  that  navigate  the  channel,  and  a  few  min- 
utes later  Mrs.  Bassett  and  Mary  made  their  appearance.  There  were 
the  usual  morning  greetings,  and  then  all  eyes  were  turned  to  the  scene 
that  was  presented  before  them. 

The  French  coast  was  in  full  view,  Havre  being  not  more  than  fif- 
teen miles  away,  and  distinguishable  through  a  glass  by  the  forest  of 
masts  that  rose  from  its  harbor,  and  also  by  the  cloud  of  smoke  about 
the  city.  All  around  were  boats  of  various  kinds,  the  nearest  of  them 
being  the  one  just  under  consideration.  Mary  undertook  to  count  the 
sails  in  sight,  but  soon  gave  up  the  effort,  as  she  was  more  interested  in 
the  picturesqueness  of  the  coast  than  in  knowing  the  exact  number  of 
craft  in  the  range  of  her  vision.  A  dozen  or  more  steamers  were  vis- 
ible, though  some  of  them  were  so  far  away  that  their  character  was 
discernible  only  by  the  columns  of  smoke  pouring  from  their  funnels 
and  stretching  out  behind  them.     There  was  only  a  light  breeze  blow- 

*  The  Boy  Travellers  in  the  Far  East  (five  volumes),  and  The  Boy  Travellers  in  South 
Aon  riea.  The  Boy  Travellers  in  the  Bussian  Empire,  The  Boy  Travellers  on  the  Congo,  The 
Boy  Travellers  in  Australasia,  The  Boy  Travellers  in  Mexico,  The  Boy  Travellers  in  Great 
Britain  and  Ireland,  and  The  Boy  Travellers  in  Northern  Europe  (seven  volumes).  See 
complete  list  at  the  end  of  this  book. 


OFF  THE  FRENCH  COAST.  3 

ing,  and  every  sailing  craft  on  the  waters  had  all  its  canvas  spread  to 
catch  it.  Mrs.  Bassett  called  attention  to  the  colors  of  the  sails,  which 
were  not  as  universally  white  as  those  which  one  sees  in  the  harbor  of 
New  York ;  there  were  two  or  three  varieties  of  browns  among  them, 
and  a  few  were  of  a  reddish  tint  that  seemed  to  vie  with  the  beams  of 
the  rising  sun,  just  visible  in  the  East. 

Doctor  Bronson  explained  that  the  browns  and  reds  were  not  attrib- 
utable to  the  age  of  the  sails,  but  to  the  color  of  the  material  out  of 


yg 


ON     THE    NORMANDV    COAST. 


which  they  were  made.  "  You  know,"  said  he,  "  that  many  house- 
keepers prefer  unbleached  linen  to  that  which  has  been  bleached,  on 
account  of  its  superior  strength ;  for  the  same  reason,  the  mariners  on 
this  part  of  the  coast  of  the  French  republic  are  less  partial  to  snow- 
white  sails  than  those  of  our  own  land." 

"  Look !  look !"  exclaimed  Mary,  who  had  been  directing  her  glass 
towards  Havre.  "  There's  a  great  steamer  coming  out  from  the  port ; 
it  must  be  one  of  the  big  ships  that  run  to  New  York." 

She  handed  the  glass  to  her  mother,  who  gave  it  to  Doctor  Bron- 
son,  with  the  remark  that  he  had  the  best  eyesight  for  steamers.  A 
moment's  glance  satisfied  him,  and  he  returned  the  glass  to  the  girl. 


4         THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

"Yes,  you  are  right,"  he  said,  addressing  Mary.  "That  is  one  of 
the  steamers  of  the  '  Oompagnie  Generate  Transatlantique,'  which  is  best 
known  in  New  York  as  the  French  Mail.  They  run  weekly  each  way, 
and  have  a  large  subsidy  from  the  French  Government  for  their  service." 

"The  steamer  that's  coming  out  towards  us,"  said  Mary,  "looks  like 
a  very  large  one;  seems  to  me  it's  like  the  City  of  Paris  that  we  came 
on  from  New  York  to  Liverpool." 

"  It  is  probably  one  of  the  company's  newest  vessels,"  was  the  reply, 
"  and  if  so,  it  is  in  eveiy  way  equal  to  any  of  its  English  or  German 
competitors.  The  French  line  is  popular  with  a  great  many  Americans, 
and  especially  with  those  who  do  not  care  to  pass  through  England  in 
their  journeys  between  New  York  and  the  Continent." 

As  the  Doctor  paused,  Mary  asked  what  were  the  hills  to  the  left  of 
Havre  and  nearly  behind  it. 

"  Behind  the  city,"  said  Doctor  Bronson,  "  are  the  heights  of  Ingou- 
ville,  while  the  hills  to  the  left  are  in  the  suburb  of  Sainte-Adresse.  Do 
you  see  the  light-house  which  stands  on  the  edge  of  the  cliff  at  Sainte- 
Adresse  as  if  ready  to  fall  over?" 

"  Oh  yes,  I  can  see  it  distinctly,"  Mary  answered ;  "  and  there  are 
some  pretty  villas  not  far  from  it  and  all  along  the  range  of  hills." 

It  is  a  very  pretty  view  which  is  presented  to  the  traveller  who  ap- 
proaches Havre  from  the  sea.  So  charming  is  it  that  a  poet  and  drama- 
tist, Casimir  Delavigne,  said  that,  after  Constantinople,  he  had  never  seen 
anything  so  beautiful.  Havre  nestles  in  a  cleft  in  the  hills  on  the  northern 
bank  of  the  Seine,  which  widens  into  a  bay  as  it  nears  the  sea.  Looking 
across  the  mouth  of  the  famous  river,  as  Doctor  Bronson  directed  her 
attention,  Mary  could  make  out  the  positions  of  Honfleur  and  Trouville, 
the  latter  a  well-known  summer  resort  frequented  by  numerous  people 
of  fashion  from  the  French  capital,  as  well  as  by  many  who  do  not  enter 
into  fashionable  life.  On  the  northern  bank  of  the  river  there  is  a  tine 
panorama  of  coast  from  Honfleur  to  Cape  de  la  Heve,  and  the  attentive 
observer  finds  it  dotted  with  houses  and  gardens  in  great  number. 

"  If  you  could  look  behind  the  hills  you  would  find  the  villas  and 
gardens  just  as  numerous,"  said  the  Doctor.  "All  the  residents  of  Havre 
who  can  afford  it  have  their  suburban  villas.  The  Frenchman  is  by 
nature  a  gardener,  and  consequently  no  villa  in  the  suburbs  of  this  sea- 
port is  considered  complete  unless  it  has  a  garden  of  greater  or  less  ex- 
tent attached  to  it.  We  shall  see  some  of  those  gardens,  and  you  will 
all  agree  with  me  that  they  are  very  pretty." 

"  And  we  ouo-ht  to  see  some  interesting'  old  houses,"  said  Frank.    "  I 


MEETING  A  GREAT   STEAMER. 


yjMj 


<»ftft**»nj5n" 


YACHTING    IN    THE    CHANNEL. 


have  been  reading  that  Havre  was  founded  in  1509,  and  was  a  prosper- 
ous city  soon  after  that  year.  So  there  ought  to  be  some  old  buildings 
there  as  well  as  modern  ones." 

"  The  city  is  mostly  of  modern  character,"  was  the  reply,  "  but  there 
is  a  fair  number  of  historic  buildings  and  places  iu  and  around  it.  Here 
comes  the  great  steamer,  and  we  will  take  a  glance  at  her." 

As  he  spoke  they  were  abreast  of  the  huge  vessel,  which  towered 
above  them  and  made  their  own  boat  appear  very  small.  The  captain 
was  at  his  post  on  the  bridge,  and  did  not  deign  to  notice  the  little 
steamer  that  kept  at  a  respectful  distance.  There  was  a  slight  inter- 
change of  courtesies  on  the  part  of  the  passengers  of  the  two  vessels,  a 
few  handkerchiefs  being  waved  as  they  passed.  In  a  few  moments  the 
steamers  were  too  far  apart  for  any  further  observance  of  marine  polite- 
ness, and  every  one  on  the  boat  which  bore  our  friends  was  looking  once 
more  in  the  direction  of  Havre. 

"  What  does  '  Havre '  mean  ?"  queried  Mrs.  Bassett. 

"  The  word  means  '  harbor,' "  replied  the  Doctor,  "  and  is  only  a  part 
of  the  name  of  the  city  to  which  we  are  bound." 

"  What  is  the  rest  of  it  ?" 

"Its  full  name  is  '  Le  Havre  de  Xotre  Dame  de  Grace,'  which  was  first 


c 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


abbreviated  to  Havre  de  Grace,  and  afterwards  to  the  single  word  as  we 
know  it  to-day.  Sometimes  the  French  call  it '  Le  Havre,'  but  the  practice 
is  steadily  going  out  of  fashion.  The  old  and  full  name  may  be  seen 
on  official  documents,  but  you  rarely  find  it  elsewhere." 

\  Mary  called  attention  to  a  flag-staff  at  the  entrance  of  the  harbor, 
■where  several  flags  were  extended  to  the  breeze. 


THE    CAPTAIN  S    TOST    ON    THE    BRIDGE. 


"That's  the  signal  station,"  said  Doctor  Branson,  "and  quite  pos- 
sibly they  are  announcing  our  arrival.  We  shall  go  close  to  it  as  we 
enter  the  harbor  and  come  to  a  stop." 

"  Can  we  go  in  at  any  state  of  the  tide  "f  Frank  asked. 

"  Yes,  this  boat  can  do  so."  was  the  reply;  "  but  large  ships,  whether 
steam  or  sail,  must  wait  for  high  tide  before  entering.  Even  the  small 
steamers  stir  up  the  mud  considerably  at  low  tide,  and  it  is  necessary 
for  the  authorities  to  dredge  the  harbor  occasionally  to  prevent  its  filling 
up.     The  entrance-harbor  is  called  the  aranf-jxvt  by  the  French,  and  we 


ARRIVAL  IN  PORT.  7 

shall  find  it  filled  with  coasting  vessels  and  other  small  craft  in  consider- 
able numbers.  Beyond  the  avant-port  are  the  docks,  which  are  similar 
to  the  docks  that  you  saw  at  Liverpool  and  London,  and  have  cost  a 
great  deal  of  money  to  make." 

On  and  on  went  the  little  steamer,  and  in  due  time  the  entrance- 
harbor  was  reached.  As  they  passed  the  signal  station  Frank  made  a 
hasty  sketch  of  the  semaphore  and  light-house.  There  was  a  large  crowd 
of  people  at  the  end  of  the  jetty,  and  Mrs.  Bassett  wondered  why  so 
many  had  come  there  just  for  the  sake  of  witnessing  the  arrival  of  Doc- 
tor Bronson  and  his  party.  The  Doctor  explained  that  the  probabilities 
wTere  that  the  people  had  assembled  on  account  of  the  departure  of  the 
great  steamer  which  they  met  outside,  and  also  that  of  a  smaller  one 
which  was  just  leaving  port  as  they  entered. 

When  the  steamer  stopped  and  the  gang-plank  was  put  out,  there 
was  the  usual  rush  of  passengers  for  the  shore.     Our  friends  retired  to  a 


THE    ENTRANCE-FORT    Oi    HAVRE. 


corner  of  the  deck  and  studied  the  scene.  They  were  intending  to  spend 
a  few  days  at  Havre,  and  therefore  were  in  no  immediate  hurry  to  land. 
They  realized  that  the  great  majority  of  their  fellow-passengers  were 
anxious  to  go  to  Paris  by  the  first  train,  and  therefore  had  good  reason 
for  getting  on  shore  as  speedily  as  possible. 


S         THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

The  boats  between  Southampton  and  Havre  do  not  connect  with 
special  trains,  as  do  some  of  the  short  routes  over  the  Channel.  Pas- 
sengers take  the  first  train  that  they  can  get ;  and  as  trains  are  numer- 
ous, they  never  have  long  to  wait.  The  Southampton-Havre  route  is  by 
no  means  the  most  expeditious  of  the  ways  between  the  French  and 
English  capitals,  but  it  has  the  advantage  of  cheapness  to  travellers 
whose  purses  are  light,  and  that  of  comfort  to  those  who  are  good  sailors 
and  not  in  a  hurry.  The  sea  passage  occupies  a  little  more  than  six 
hours,  with  two  hours  more  in  the  river  below  Southampton  and  the 
Channel  between  the  Isle  of  Wight  and  the  main-land.  The  voyage  is 
made  in  the  night  in  both  directions,  so  that  on  rising  in  the  morning 
the  traveller  is  in  sight  of  the  shore  to  which  he  is  destined,  or,  quite 
likely,  safely  anchored  in  port. 

It  was  a  little  after  the  time  of  high  tide  when  our  friends  reached 
Havre,  and  the  avant-port  was  well  rilled  with  water.  The  youths  ob- 
served that  the  ebb-tide  was  making,  and,  as  there  is  a  difference  of 
twenty  feet  between  low  and  high  water,  it  was  evident  that  the  decline 
was  by  no  means  slow.  Havre  has  an  advantage  over  other  ports  on  the 
French  coast  in  the  peculiarity  that  at  the  time  of  high  tide  the  water 
remains  stationary  for  nearly  two  hours,  while  at  other  points  it  begins 
to  fall  almost  at  the  moment  it  touches  the  highest  point. 

Doctor  Bronson  said  he  once  had  a  practical  experience  growing  out 
of  the  necessity  of  the  immediate  departure  of  a  vessel  from  one  of  the 
Channel  ports  of  France  the  instant  the  tide  was  at  its  maximum.  He 
came  by  train  from  Paris,  expecting  to  connect  with  the  steamer;  in 
consequence  of  a  slight  accident  the  train  lost  half  an  hour  on  its  way, 
and  so  reached  the  port  just  that  much  behind  time. 

"As  we  rolled  into  the  station  on  the  pier  where  the  boat  lay,"  said 
the  Doctor,  "  the  passengers  saw  to  their  dismay  that  the  Avheels  of  the 
boat  were  in  motion,  and  she  was  off  for  her  voyage  over  the  Channel. 
Every  passenger  by  that  train  was  left  behind,  and  his  only  recourse  was 
to  wait  for  the  next  boat.  Many  of  the  delayed  travellers  lost  their 
temper,  and  said  hard  things  about  the  steamboat  company.  It  was  ex- 
plained that  the  boat  could  not  wait  even  a  fraction  of  a  minute  longer 
Avithout  being  left  in  the  harbor  until  the  next  period  of  high  tide. 

"  Most  of  the  harbors  along  the  western  coast  of  France  are  the 
mouths  of  small  rivers,  little  better  than  brooks,  and  are  dry,  or  very 
nearly  so,  at  low  tide.  When  the  tide  is  out  vessels  of  all  kinds  lie  in 
the  mud  or  in  water  that  is  too  shallow  to  permit  their  movement. 
When  the  tide  comes  in  the  harbor  fills  rapidly,  and  what  was  before  an 


THE   VALUE   OF   TIDES. 


expanse  of  mud  assumes  quite  a  different  appearance.  One  by  one  the 
vessels  are  afloat,  and  those  which  are  outward  bound  are  set  in  motion 
the  moment  their  captains  find  their  craft  free  from  their  muddy  beds." 


ALONG  THE  HOCKS  AND  SANDS. 


"  These  harbors  get  a  good  washing  at  every  turn  of  the  tide,"  re- 
marked Frank  as  the  Doctor  paused. 

"  Yes,"  was  the  reply ;  "  and  few  persons  who  have  not  seen  it 
for  themselves  realize  what  great  purifiers  the  tides  are.  Compare 
these  ports  with  those  along  the  Mediterranean,  and  note  the  very 
great  difference." 

"  "What  is  the  difference,  please  ?"  Mrs.  Bassett  asked. 

"  Why,"  responded  her  brother,  "  the  Mediterranean  is  practically 
tideless,  the  variation  being  only  a  few  inches  in  some  parts,  while  its 
greatest  rise  and  fall  anywhere  is  not  above  three  feet.  The  variation 
is  not  sufficient  to  give  the  cleansing  power  to  the  tide  that  you  see 
here  on  most  parts  of  the  coast  of  the  United  States.  The  harbors 
along  the  Mediterranean  are  full  of  filth  of  all  kinds,  which  accumu- 
lates there  in  spite  of  all  precaution  by  the  authorities ;  the  sediment 
settles  to  the  bottom  and  may  be  dredged  away  at  intervals,  but  the 
water  in  the  harbor  looks  like  that  of  a  mud-puddle  in  the  middle  of 


10         THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

a  much -frequented  road  or  the  outpouring  of  a  sewer.  Never  till  I 
saw  the  dirty  condition  of  the  harbors  of  Marseilles,  Genoa,  Bona,  and 
other  places  along  the  Mediterranean,  did  I  realize  the  benefit  that  a 
seaport  receives  in  being  thoroughly  washed  twice  every  twenty-four 
hours  by  a  powerful  tide." 

"  That  may  be  the  reason  why  the  places  you  speak  of  are  so  much 
more  unhealthy  than  the  ports  along  the  Channel,"  Fred  remarked. 

"  I  believe  so,"  the  Doctor  answered.  "  But  of  course  the  residents 
of  those  places  would  resent  the  insinuation,  and  very  emphatically, 
too.  The  people  of  Marseilles  will  never  admit  that  the  cholera,  which 
frequently  afflicts  them,  is  developed  and  encouraged  by  the  condition 
of  their  harbor,  or  at  least  the  older  part  of  it,  which  appears  to  con- 
tain the  same  water  that  was  let  into  it  in  the  time  of  the  Roman 
emperors.  But  the  crowd  at  the  gangway  has  thinned  out,  and  we'll 
go  on  shore  and  see  the  city." 

Before  they  were  free  to  wander  about  Plavre  it  was  necessary  to 
observe  the  custom-house  formalities,  which  include  the  inspection  of 
one's  baggage  in  search  of  dutiable  articles.  Doctor  Bronson  de- 
clared that  there  was  nothing  liable  to  duty  in  the  trunks  of  himself 
and  companions;  he  had  no  cigars  or  tobacco  —  articles  which  are 
specially  sought  by  the  custom-house  officials — and,  so  far  as  he  knew, 
nothing  else  that  would  come  within  the  restrictions.  The  douanier 
was  polite,  and  evidently  a  good  judge  of  character ;  he  examined  only 
one  trunk  out  of  the  entire  lot,  and  even  to  this  he  gave  but  a  hasty 
glance.  It  did  not  take  long  for  him  to  ascertain  that  the  party  before 
him  were  travellers  in  search  of  pleasure  only,  and  not  bent  upon  de- 
frauding the  revenues  of  the  French  republic.  Furthermore,  Doctor 
Bronson  had  facilitated  the  work  of  the  official  by  opening  the  trunks 
at  once  before  he  was  asked  to  do  so. 

The  tourist  who  smokes  may  enter  France  with  a  broken  package 
of  fewer  than  one  hundred  cigars  ;  no  objection  will  be  made  to  fifty, 
seventy,  or  even  ninety -nine  cigars ;  but  if  he  has  an  even  hundred  or 
more,  he  must  pay  duty  upon  them ;  and  thereby  hangs  a  tale  which 
Avas  told  by  the  Doctor  while  they  were  waiting  their  turn  for  exami- 
nation by  the  officials. 

"  Some  years  ago,"  said  the  Doctor,  "  I  came  to  Havre  in  a  steamer 
from  New  York,  and  of  course  had  to  pass  through  the  custom-house 
on  my  arrival.  Among  the  passengers  was  a  family  from  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Boston — a  shrewd  New  Englander  with  his  wife  and  three 
daughters.     The  young  women  were  of  ages  varying  between  eighteen 


A  YANKEES  TRICK. 


11 


and  twenty-two,  and  very  sweet  girls  they  were.  The  head  of  the 
family  was  a  smoker,  but  I  never  suspected  that  his  wife  or  daughters 
were  addicted  to  tobacco  till  I  saw  them  in  the  French  custom-house." 
"  Were  they  smoking  there  V  queried  Mrs.  Bassett,  in  a  tone  of 
surprise. 


"  JSTo,-!  replied  the  Doc- 
tor ;  "  but  each  of  them  was 
exhibiting  a  bundle  of  cigars 
which  the   old    gentleman 
had  put  in  their  hands  to 
avoid  paying  duty  upon  his 
excess  of  one  hundred.     He 
argued  that  as  any  individ- 
ual has  a  right  to  bring  a 
certain  number  of  cigars  into  France   free  of  duty,  it  was  perfectly 
proper  for  him  to  press  his  wife  and  daughters  into  service." 
"  Did  he  succeed  ?"  Mary  asked. 


AN     ECONOMICAL    ARRANGEMENT. 


12         THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

"  Yes ;  the  custom-house  official  was  evidently  puzzled  over  the  sit- 
uation. He  certainly  appeared  quite  as  surprised  as  I  was  at  the  idea 
of  those  young  women  being-  smokers,  and  after  a  little  hesitation  he 
allowed  them  to  pass  without  objection.  Their  father  whispered  to 
me  that  his  daughters  had  never  smoked  a  single  whiff  in  all  their 
lives,  but  he  thought  he  could  '  fool '  the  Frenchman.  His  argument 
was  that  many  Frenchwomen  were  smokers  of  cigarettes,  and  it  was 
easy  enough  to  make  a  Frenchman  believe  that  American  girls  smoke 
cigars  instead  of  cigarettes.  And  he  added  that  as  American  girls 
have  more  liberty  than  French  ones,  it  was  quite  natural  to  believe 
that  they  took  their  tobacco  in  the  strongest  form.'' 

There  was  a  laugh  all  around  at  the  shrewdness  of  the  American 
traveller  and  his  zeal  in  defrauding  the  French  revenue.  When  it  sub- 
sided, Mrs.  Bassett  propounded  the  following  question  : 

"  Wh}r  is  it  that  people  who  are  otherwise  honest  do  not  hesitate 
to  cheat  the  custom-house,  not  only  in  foreign  countries,  but  in  their 
native  lands  i  I  know  men  and  women  who  would  not  on  any  account 
steal  the  value  of  a  penny,  but  are  always  ready  to  smuggle  goods 
through  the  custom-house,  and  boast  about  it  if  they  succeed." 

"  The  reason  is  not  difficult  to  find.  In  every  country  where  there 
are  tariffs  you  will  find  many  men  and  newspapers  who  argue  that 
tariffs  are  wrong  in  principle  and  practice,  that  they  rob  the  people  in 
a  variety  of  ways,  and  ought  to  be  abolished  altogether.  Kevenue 
laws  are  not  like  the  laws  against  murder,  robbery,  and  other  acts 
which  we  call  crimes ;  the  whole  civilized  world  has  criminal  laws, 
which  are  practically  alike,  but  revenue  laws  are  very  much  at  vari- 
ance, and  do  not  prevail  everywhere,  as  you  readily  understand.  The 
lawyers  would  say  to  you  that  smuggling  is  malum prohibitum  (wrong 
because  the  law  says  it  is),  while  robbery,  murder,  and  the  like  are 
malum  per  se  (wrong  in  themselves).  Most  countries  show  very  Utile 
respect  for  those  whose  revenue  laws  are  unlike  their  own.  England, 
for  example,  does  not  hesitate  to  encourage  smuggling  into  other  coun- 
tries where  tariffs  exist,  as  any  one  who  has  sjient  a  short  time  at 
Hong-Kong,  Gibraltar,  or  other  British  posts  and  frontiers  can  testify, 
though  she  punishes  with  severity  any  frauds  upon  her  own  revenue." 

"  Thank  you  very  much  for  the  explanation,"  said  Mrs.  Bassett. 
Jnst  as  she  said  this  the  officer  addressed  the  Doctor  on  the  subject  of 
his  baggage,  and  in  a  few  minutes  they  were  at  liberty  to  depart. 

They  had  decided  to  go  to  the  Hotel  Frascati,  and  a  eommission- 
naire  from  that  establishment  was  placed  in  charge  of  their  baggage, 


PLEASURE  AT   THE   SEA-SIDE. 


13 


hi 


r 


ON    THE    BEACH    AT    I'RASCATl's. 


while  they  entered  a  carriage  which,  was  standing  on  the  quay.  The 
driver  of  the  vehicle  assumed  that  they  were  strangers,  and  in  order 
to  make  as  much  as  possible  out  of  his  customers  he  took  them  by  a 
roundabout  way.     The  Doctor  observed  it  and  smiled,  and  then  whis- 


u 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


pered  to  the  rest :  "  The  way  lie  is  driving  is  very  much  as  though 
a  cabman  in  New  York  should  go  from  Union  Square  to  Madison  Square 
by  way  of  the  pier  at  the  foot  of  West  Eighteenth  Street ;  but  as  you 
are  interested  in  seeing  as  much  as  possible  of  the  city  we  will  let  him 
go  as  he  likes  in  taking  us  to  the  hotel." 

In  due  time  they  reached  the  hotel,  and  when  Doctor  Bronson  paid 
the  bill  for  the  carriage  he  dismayed  the  driver  by  saying  he  had  been 
in  Havre  before,  and  knew  the  proper  route  from  the  quay  to  Fra- 
scati's.  The  driver  promptly  accepted  the  regulation  fare  which  the 
Doctor  tendered,  and  begged  him  not  to  mention  the  matter  to  the 
manager  of  the  establishment. 

Frascati's  is  a  little  out  of  the  city  of  Havre,  and  at  the  edge  of  the 
sea.  Our  friends  had  chosen  it  because  it  would  give  them  a  glimpse 
of  the  sea-bathing  ways  of  the  French,  as  the  hotel  is  quite  a  resort  for 
summer  visitors  and  has  a  large  bathing  establishment  connected  with 
it.  In  the  bathing  season  the  hotel  is  generally  crowded,  but  when  this 
patronage  falls  off  at  the  beginning  of  autumn,  the  house  reduces  its  staff 
of  servants  and  settles  down  to  a  condition  of  stagnation  until  summer 
comes  a°-aiii  and  brine's  the  rush  of  visitors. 

Here  is  what  Mary  wrote  concerning  her  first  experience  at  a  sea- 
side resort  in  France: 

"  As  soon  as  we  were  settled  at  the  hotel  we  went  out  to  see  the 
bathers,  as  the  tide  was  up  and  it  was  the  proper  hour  to  go  into  the 

water.  One  can  bathe  at  all 
hours,  but  the  best  time  is  at 
hio-h  tide.     When    the   water  is 

o 

low  there  is  a  wide  stretch  of 
beach  which  is  anything  but  nice 
to  walk  on,  as  it  is  covered  with 
stones.  And  they  are  not  smooth, 
flat  stones  by  any  means,  but  reg- 
ular 'cobbles,'  such  as  we  pave 
streets  with  at  home.  Most  of 
the  bathers  have  shoes  or  slippers 
made  of  straw,  and  can  get  along  over  the  stones  very  well  when  their 
feet  are  thus  protected.  But  they  are  apt  to  lose  their  slippers  while  in 
the  water,  and  when  they  do  they  have  a  very  penitential  walk  back  to 
the  bathiim'-houses.  One  of  our  first  si°;hts  was  of  a  bather  who  had 
lost  his  slippers,  and  found  the  stones  very  disagreeable  when  he  placed 
his  whole  weight  on  his  feet ;  so  he  got  down,  baby-fashion,  and  crept 


A    HARD    ROAD     TO    TRAVEL. 


RULES  OF  THE  BATHING  PLACE. 


15 


on  all-fours.     It  was  a  funny  sight,  and  we  laughed  quietly  to  ourselves 
as  we  looked  on  and  witnessed  his  antics. 

"  Doctor  Bronson  says  that  if  it  was  not  for  the  cobble-stones  on  the 
beach  this  place  would  be  a  formidable  rival  to  Trouville,  which  is  the 


IS    THE    HANDS    OF    A    BAIGNECR. 


most  fashionable  resort  on  the  coast.  Trouville  and  its  neighbor,  Deau- 
ville,  have  beaches  of  sand ;  I'll  tell  you  about  them  when  we  go  there. 
"  I  wanted  to  go  into  the  water,  and  so  did  Frank  and  Fred.  We 
arranged  with  the  keeper  of  the  bathing-houses  to  supply  us  with  bath- 
ing-dresses, and  were  then  shown  to  the  little  boxes  where  we  made  our 
toilets  for  a  swim.  I  expected  we  would  go  into  the  water  together  and 
have  a  nice  frolic,  just  as  we  would  at  home,  but  found  when  we  came 
out  on  the  beach  that  it  was  contrary  to  the  rules.     There  is  a  high 


10        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

fence  separating-  the  bathing  place  for  women  from  that  of  the  men, 
and  those  of  the  different  sexes  must  keep  on  their  own  side  of  this 
fence  if  they  wish  to  bathe  in  peace. 

"  There  is  an  exception  to  every  rule,  so  the  old  adage  says,  and  there 
is  an  exception  here.  My  brother  and  cousin  could  not  come  into  the 
water  where  I  was,  but  there  were  several  baigneurs,  or  men  whose  pro- 
fession it  is  to  accompany  women  into  the  water  and  assist  them  in  their 
bath.  Very  few  Frenchwomen  can  swim,  and  so  the  duties  of  a  bai- 
gneur  consist  in  holding  his  fair  charge  by  the  shoulders  while  he  dips 
her  under  the  water  a  few  times  and  takes  care  that  she  does  not  drown. 
These  men  are  sailors  or  fishermen,  and  expect  fees  for  their  services. 
Frank  says  that  the  rules  of  the  French  bathing  places  are  devised  so 
that  the  assistants  can  earn  a  living,  as  they  are  allowed  to  go  where 
husbands,  fathers,  or  brothers  are  excluded. 

"I  astonished  and  doubtless  chagrined  the  haigneurs  by  declining 
their  help  and  going  into  the  water  alone.  One  of  them  told  me  I  was 
not  allowed  to  do  so ;  but  I  said  I  could  swim,  and  did  not  wait  to  see 
if  he  was  telling  the  truth  or  only  trying  to  frighten  me  into  employ- 
ing him  for  half  an  hour  or  so. 

"  I  swam  out  a  good  distance  from  the  shore,  till  they  shouted  to  me 
to  come  back.  Whether  they  thought  I  was  in  danger  or  not  I  can't  say, 
but  I  turned  around  and  went  leisurely  towards  the  shore.  The  slippers 
were  something  of  a  hinderance  in  swimming,  but  I  had  them  fastened 
very  firmly,  as  I  didn't  want  to  cut  my  feet  on  the  stones.  Finding  he 
could  not  be  employed  to  assist  me  in  swimming,  one  of  the  baigneurs 
offered  to  support  me  in  going  from  the  beach  to  the  bathing-houses, 
but  I  declined  his  offer  and  walked  back  by  myself.  Frank  and  Fred 
came  out  soon  afterwards,  and  as  soon  as  we  were  dressed  we  hurried  to 
the  pavilion  in  front  of  the  hotel,  where  mamma  and  Doctor  Bronson 
had  ordered  breakfast  for  the  party. 

"  Do  not  suppose  that  all  the  people  who  visit  Frascati's  go  there  to 
bathe.  Those  who  go  into  the  water  are  a  minority ;  the  most  of  the 
visitors  sit  on  the  shore  or  under  the  pavilion,  or  promenade  wherever 
the  walking  is  good  enough  for  that  amusement.  There  are  some  who 
put  on  bathing-suits  but  don't  bathe;  they  are  like  the  'gallery  riders' 
at  Dmiand's  and  other  riding-schools  in  Xew  York — women  who  go 
every  afternoon  to  the  schools,  dressed  in  their  riding-habits  and  with 
whips  in  their  hands,  but  are  never  known  to  do  anything  else  than  sit 
in  the  gallery  and  see  other  people  ride  in  the  ring. 

"  We  were  ready  for  breakfast,  von  may  be  sure,  as  it  was  eleven  in 


A  FRENCH  BREAKFAST. 


17 


the  forenoon,  and  all  we  had  taken  since  getting  up  in  the  morning  was 
a  little  coffee  and  some  rolls  on  board  the  boat  that  brought  us  from 
Southampton.  Don't  be  surprised  that  we  are  breakfasting  at  this 
hour.  We  are  in  France,  and  are  doing  as  the  French  do ;  they  take 
only  their  cafe  au  lait  in  the  morning  (which  means  coffee  with  milk), 
and  perhaps  a  roll  or  a  crust  of  dry  bread.  Breakfast  is  from  11  a.m. 
to  1  p.m.,  and  is  the  first  serious  meal  of  the  day.  Then  comes  dinner 
at  six  or  seven  in  the  evening,  and  that  ends  the  day's  feeding.  I  like 
our  home  ways  the  best,  but  of  course  don't  propose  to  ask  the  French 
people  to  change  their  customs  to  oblige  me. 

"  Near  the  table  where  we  were  at  breakfast  there  was  an  American 


IN    THE    CAFSi. 


party  of  four,  who  were  evidently  of  one  family.  Their  conversation 
was  carried  on  in  a  tone  so  loud  that  we  could  hear  nearly  all  they  said, 
and  the  chief  topic  was  the  difficulty  of  finding  things  here  such  as  they 


18  THE    BOY    TRAVELLERS   IN    CENTRAL   EUROPE. 

had  at  home.  One  wanted  buckwheat  cakes,  another  desired  pie,  and  a 
third  was  hungering  for  corned  beet'  and  cabbage.  After  a  long  denunci- 
ation of  the  benighted  French,  who  knew  nothing  about  those  American 
luxuries,  one  of  the  party  remarked,  philosophically,  '  1  suppose  if  we 
should  say  anything  to  a  Frenchman  about  it,  he  would  tell  us  to  go 
back  and  stay  in  our  country,  and  we  could  have  things  our  own  way — 
and  that's  just  what  he  ought  to  say.' 

"  None  of  the  others  made  any  response  to  this  remark ;  evidently 
they  thought  it  was  too  near  the  truth  to  be  seriously  opposed. 

"  When  they  had  gone.  Doctor  Bronson  said  he  once  travelled  for  a 
time  on  the  Continent  with  an  American,  whose  great  annoyance  was  the 
impossibility  of  having  all  the  courses  of  his  dinner  served  at  once.  He 
had  been  accustomed  at  home  to  having  his  entire  dinner  placed  on  the 
table  before  he  sat  down,  and  could  not  understand  why  the  same  prac- 
tice does  not  prevail  here.  After  vainly  endeavoring  for  several  months 
to  reform  the  dinner  practices  of  Europeans,  he  went  back  to  America, 
vowing  that  he  would  never  again  cross  the  Atlantic  until  the  Europeans 
knew  how  to  serve  a  dinner  properly. 

"  But  I  am  getting  away  from  Frascati's  and  the  baths  of  Havre. 
Do  not  suppose  this  is  the  only  bathing-place  here ;  there  are  several 
establishments,  belonging  to  different  proprietors — in  fact,  the  shore  for 
a  mile  or  more  is  lined  with  bathing  houses,  and  we  can  see  them  directly 
beneath  the  heights  of  Sainte-Adresse.  It's  a  great  pity  that  the  shore 
is  so  rocky,  as  its  condition  seriously  interferes  with  the  comfort  of  mak- 
ing a  plunge  in  the  sea." 


THE   SUBURBS   OF  HAVKE. 


19 


CHAPTER  II. 

A  DRIVE  IN  THE  SUBURBS  OF  HAVRE.— SAIXTE-ADRESSE  AXD  THE  LIGHT-HOUSE. 
—VILLAS,  GARDENS,  AXD  OTHER  SUBURBAN  ATTRACTIONS.— HOUSES  OF  AL- 
PHOXSE  KARR  AXD  SARA  BERNHARDT.  — MONUMENT  TO  GEXERAL  DESNOU- 
ETTES  AXD  ITS  PRACTICAL  USES.— AX  AMUSING  INCIDENT.— AN  EVENING 
WALK  ALOXG  THE  STREETS  AXD  QUAYS.— THE  RUE  DE  PARIS.— IX  THE  FISH- 
MARKET.— THE  FISHING  FOLKS  OF  NORMANDY;  THEIR  ORIGIN,  OCCUPATION, 
AXD  PECULIARITIES.— VISIT  TO  A  FISHING  VILLAGE.— INTERIOR  OF  FISHERS' 
HOUSES.— MUSSELIXG  AXD  SHRIMPING.— A  FISH  AUCTION.— HAULING  BOATS 
OX  SHORE.— HARFLEUR  AXD  HAVRE  CONTRASTED.—  THE  DOCKS  OF  HAVRE.— 
THEIR  EXTENT  AXD  COST.— DEPARTURE  OF  AX  OCEAN  STEAMSHIP.— "  C.  G.  T." 

TIn7  the  afternoon  Doctor  Bronson  went  to  call  on  his  old  friend,  the 
-*-  Consul  of  the  United  States,  while  the  others  of  the  party  engaged 
a  carriage,  and  drove  about  the  citv  and  into  the  suburbs.    Mrs.  Bassett 


A    TWILIGHT    KFFKC1 


said  she  wanted  to  see  some  of  the  villas  and  gardens  which  had  been 
mentioned,  and  so  the  drive  was  made  to  include  Ingouville  and  Sainte- 
Adresse  and  the  country  behind  them. 

All  agreed  that  the  suburbs  of  Havre  were  very  attractive,  the  villas 
and  gardens  displaying  excellent  taste  on  the  part  of  their  owners. 
The  visit  to  Sainte-Adresse  was  timed  so  as  to  include  the  sunset  view, 
and  they  were  fortunate  in  having  a  clear  sky  and  plenty  of  color  on 
the  horizon.     From  the  edge  of  the  cliff  our  friends  watched  the  sun 


20         THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

sinking  into  the  western  sea,  tingeing  the  waves  with  golden  and  purple 
beams,  and  lighting  with  its  glow  the  many  sails  that  were  stippled  on 
the  waters.  Mrs.  Bassett  declared  that  she  had  never  seen  anything 
half  as  pretty  in  sunset  effects,  and  Mary  wished  that  the  scene  might 
be  placed  on  canvas  by  some  of  the  American  painters  whose  names 
are  famous  in  landscape  work. 

They  visited  the  light-house  which  they  had  seen  as  they  approached 
Havre  in  the  morning,  and  Mary  discovered  what  she  had  not  noticed 
in  her  hurried  glance  from  the  steamboat :  that  there  are  two  light-houses 
about  fifty  feet  apart,  and  standing  on  a  cliff  more  than  three  hundred 
feet  above  the  sea.  The  second  structure  is  intended  for  use  in  case  the 
other  should  be  disabled,  and  it  has  a  complete  apparatus  for  electric 
lighting  independent  of  the  other.  The  custodian  showed  them  through 
the  establishment,  and  said  that  the  light  was  placed  on  Sainte-Adresse 
more  than  a  hundred  years  ago,  and  had  been  burning  every  night 
since  long  before  he  could  remember. 

We  may  remark,  by  the  way,  that  the  light-house  of  Sainte-Adresse 
has  no  superior  on  the  French  coast,  and  the  light  is  said  to  be  dis- 
tinctly visible  for  more  than  thirty  marine  miles.  The  official  claim  for 
it  is  that  it  can  be  seen  for  twenty-eight  miles,  and  the  greatest  care  is 
exercised  in  its  management.  It  was  one  of  the  first  light-houses  to 
use  the  electric  fight,  which  was  not  adopted  by  the  Government  until 
after  the  most  careful  experiments. 

On  the  way  to  the  top  of  the  cliff  the  driver  of  the  carriage  pointed 
out  the  house  of  Alphonse  Karr,  a  French  author  of  celebrity.  An 
elderly  gentleman  was  walking  in  the  garden,  and  Mrs.  Bassett  at  once 
inquired  if  he  was  Mr.  Kan-. 

"  ]STo,  madame,"  the  driver  answered  ;  "  Mr.  Karr  sold  the  house  sev- 
eral 3'ears  ago,  and  has  no  more  interest  in  it  now  than  you  have  ;  but 
nobody  knows  it  by  any  other  name  than  Alphonse  Kan's  house.  A 
merchant  of  Havre  bought  it,  but  I  can't  remember  his  name.7' 

Elsewhere  the  driver  pointed  out  a  summer-house  which,  he  said, 
belonged  to  the  famous  actress,  Sara  Bernhardt.  The  eccentric  Sara 
was  born  at  Havre,  and  is  very  fond  of  her  birthplace ;  and  she  has 
manifested  her  fondness  by  building  this  summer  home,  so  that  she  can 
come  here  in  the  season  of  baths.  Then  there  is  a  large  house  that  was 
built  by  Queen  Christine  of  Spain,  and  gives  a  delightful  view  of  the 
port  and  city  of  Havre,  with  much  of  the  surrounding  panorama. 

There  was  a  bewildering  succession  of  summer-houses,  gardens,  and 
villas  along  the  road,  and  our  friends  found  it  impossible  to  remember 


THE   SUGAR-LOAF  MONUMENT. 


21 


VOTIVE    OFFERING    AT    THE    CHURCH. 


a  tenth  of  the  names  that  were  repeated  by  the  communicative  driver. 
The)r  reached  a  church,  which  the  driver  said  was  built  by  the  contribu- 
tions of  the  sailors  and  fishermen  of  Havre  and  its  vicinity,  and  was 
called  Notre  Dame  des  Flots.  At  Mrs.  Bassett's  suggestion,  they  visited 
the  interior,  but  found  nothing  remarkable  in  the  way  of  architecture 
or  paintings ;  but  they  saw  a  great  number  of  votive  offerings,  which 
had  been  deposited  in  the  church  by  pious  mariners,  either  in  return  for 
perils  they  had  escaped,  or  as  a  preliminary  to'possible  perils  that  might 
come.  In  leaving  the  church  they  met  a  party  of  pilgrims  bringing  an 
offering  in  the  shape  of  a  miniature  boat — the  model,  probably,  of  a 
vessel  that  had  escaped  destruction  in  a  storm  at  sea. 

-Not  far  from  the  church  is  a  monument  which  excited  the  curiosity 
of  the  visitors,  and  they  promptly  asked  the  driver  what  it  was. 

"  The  people  of  Havre  call  it  pain  rfe  sucre  "  (sugar-loaf),  said  the 
driver,  with  a  smile. 

"  It  certainly  resembles  a  sugar-loaf,"  said  Frank,  "  or  possibly  an 
egg  in  an  egg-cup." 

"  I  saw  it  when  I  was  looking  through  the  glass,"  said  Mary,  "  and 
wondered  what  it  was." 

Then  the  driver  explained  that  it  was  a  monument  to  the  memory 


22 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


of  General  Desnouettes,  who  perished  in  a  shipwreck  in  the  early  part 

of  this  century.  His  widow  caused  it  to  be  put  here,  and  she  left  a  sum 
of  money  to  the  city  of  Havre,  on  condition  that  the  monument  should 
always  be  kept  in  perfect  repair  and  as  snowy-white  as  the  traveller 
sees  it  to-day.  She  intended  it  not  only  as  a  monument  to  the  memory 
other  husband,  but  as  a  beacon  to  sailors  approaching  Havre.  Its 
whiteness  and  peculiar  shape  make  it  visible  at  a  great  distance,  and 
many  blessings  have  been  invoked  upon  the  thoughtful  widow  not  only 
by  the  mariners  for  whom  it  was  intended,  but  by  sea-sick  passengers 
arriving  from  the  English  coast.  Mrs.  Bassett  remarked  that  it  was  a 
pity  that  all  monuments  in  memory  of  husbands  could  not  be  as  prac- 
tical as  the  one  they  were  considering,  and  her  opinion  was  most  em- 
phatically echoed  by  the  others. 

Frank  made  note  of  an  amusing  incident  of  their  excursion.     At  a 


"■'3* 


LIGHT-HOUSES   NEAR   HAVRE. 


'BEGGING    IS    FORBIDDEN." 


23 


turn  in  the  road  between  Havre  and  Sainte-  Adresse  attention  was 
drawn  to  a  post  on  which  was  displayed  in  large  letters,  "La  Mendicite 
est  Interdite  "  (begging  is  forbidden).  Throughout  all  parts  of  France 
this  notice  may  be  seen ;  but  the  traveller  might  infer  by  the  frequent 
appeals  for  charity  to 
the  lame,  halt,  blind, 
and  otherwise  unfortu- 
nate that  the  law  in 
regard  to  beggary  is 
not  very  closely  ob- 
served. Frank  called 
attention  to  the  cir- 
cumstance that  a  men- 
dicant was  seated  at 
the  foot  of  the  post, 
and  resting  his  back 
against  the  stick  of 
timber  that  supported 
the  prohibitory  sign. 
His  hat  rested  between 
his  knees,  and  it  was 
open  for  the  reception 
of  whatever  small  coins 
could  be  obtained  from 
passers-by.  As  the  car- 
riage neared  the  spot, 
the  beo-o-ar  whined 
an  appeal  for  help 
to  a  poor  man  whose 
family  was  starving. 
Moved  by  the  humor 
of  the  situation,  Frank 
bestowed  a  gratuity  to 

the  supplicant,  who,  doubtless,  did  not  realize  to  what  he  owed  the  gift 
from  one  whom  he  had  never  before  seen. 

In  the  evening  our  friends  strolled  out  to  the  end  of  the  pier  that 
marks  the  entrance  of  the  harbor,  and  enjoyed  the  twilight  effects  which 
were  presented.  Then  they  wandered  along  the  Rue  de  Paris,  the  prin- 
cipal street  of  the  city,  and  regarded  by  the  inhabitants  as  a  sort  of 
miniature  of  the  boulevards  of  the  capital  of  the  republic.     Unfortu- 


IX    THE    FIELDS    NEAR    THE    CITY. 


24         THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

nately,  it  was  laid  out  when  narrow  sidewalks  were  in  fashion,  and 
therefore  there  is  not  sufficient  room  for  a  large  number  of  pedestrians. 
It  extends  from  the  quay  to  the  garden  of  the  Hotel  de  Ville  (City 
Hall),  and  contains  the  best  shops  of  the  city.  Fred  observed  that 
there  were  several  shops  devoted  to  the  sale  of  marine  curiosities  in  the 
shape  of  shells  more  or  less  rare,  and  miniature  houses  and  other  orna- 
ments constructed  of  shells  and  sea-products  of  various  kinds.  The  oth- 
er shops  were  stocked  with  goods  similar  to  those  found  along  the  bou- 
levards of  Paris,  but  the  quantities  were  not  large.  Mrs.  Bassett  and 
Mary  devoted  an  hour  or  two  to  shopping,  but  found  that  the  goods 
they  sought  were  in  limited  variety,  and  not  at  all  low  in  price.  Con- 
sequently, they  postponed  making  any  purchases  until  reaching  Paris. 

After  the  shopping  excursion  Mary  suggested  a  visit  to  the  hsh- 
market,  as  her  attention  had  been  attracted  to  the  picturesque  costumes 
of  the  fisher  men  and  women.  The  girl's  suggestion  was  adopted  at 
once,  and  the  fish-market  was  visited.  Here  is  Fred's  account  of  what 
was  seen  there  by  the  visitors : 

"  The  market  is  in  a  building  specially  adapted  to  the  sale  of  fish  and 
close  to  the  water,  so  that  the  finny  merchandise  can  be  transferred  to 
it  directly  from  the  boats  without  the  necessity  of  carrying  it  in  wagons. 
On  low  benches  were  the  fish  that  had  been  brought  in  for  sale ;  they 
included  mackerel,  sole,  and  other  well-known  fishes,  as  well  as  some 
with  which  we  were  unfamiliar. 

'•  One  thing  that  amused  us  and  seemed  very  funny  was  the  amount 
of  dog-fish  and  skate  that  were  offered  for  sale,  and  were  purchased,  too. 
You  know  that  we  make  no  account  of  these  fishes  around  Xew  York ; 
in  Great  South  Bay  (on  Long  Island),  all  along  the  Sound,  and  on  the 
Jersey  coast  both  these  fishes  are  thrown  away,  and  all  fishermen  con- 
sider them  a  nuisance.  But  they  eat  them  here,  and  are  evidently  fond 
of  them,  especially  of  the  skate.  The  French  call  him  raie,  or  ray. 
"We  have  eaten  raie  ail  ieurre  noir  (skate  with  black  butter),  and  con- 
sidered it  very  good.  Doctor  Bronson  says  that  on  parts  of  the  coast  of 
England  the  skate  is  considered  an  excellent  food  fish,  while  on  other 
parts  of  the  same  coast  it  is  thrown  away. 

"  By  questioning  the  fisher  men  and  women  in  the  market,  we  found 
that  both  the  ray  and  dog-fish  were  abundant  and  cheap,  and  were  eaten 
more  by  poor  people  than  by  the  upper  classes.  One  of  our  informants 
said  that  if  dog-fish  was  two  francs  a  pound  all  the  fashionable  people 
would  want  it,  and  only  on  account  of  its  cheapness  did  they  leave  it  to 
those  who  couldn't  afford  anvthino-  dearer.     It  made  me  think  of  our 


IN  THE  FISH-MARKET. 


25 


own  American  fish,  the  porgy.  Everybody  who  has  eaten  it  knows 
what  a  delicious  fish  it  is ;  but  it  is  abundant  and  cheap  in  New  York, 
and  consequently  the  fashionable  people  of  Manhattan  Island  never  think 
of  having  it  on  their  tables. 

"  Mrs.  Bassett  wanted  us  to  find  out  the  best  ways  for  cooking  dog- 
fish and  skate,  and  so  we  asked  one  of  the  women  in  the  market.     She 
said  the  dog-fish  is  cut  into  steaks  and  fried  or  broiled,  just  as  we  cook 
halibut,  which,  by  the  way,  it  closely  resembles  in  taste  and  appearance. 
The  skate  may  be  fried  or  boiled,  and  a  favorite  way  of  eating  boiled 
skate  is  to  serve  it  up 
cold  with  some  kind  of 
piquant  sauce,  or  with 
no  sauce  at  all.    In  the 
best    restaurants    it  is 
cooked  with '  black  but- 
ter.'  You  must  ask  the 
cook    how   to    make 
black  butter,  as  I  am 
just  now  unable  to  tell 
you.   "When  I've  learn- 
ed how  I'll  let  you 
know. 

"  Quite  as  interest- 
ing as  anything  we  saw  J| 
in  the  fish-market  were 
the  men  and  women 
who  gain  their  living 
from  the  produce  of 
the  sea.  The  men  that 
we  saw  were  clad  in 
canvas  trousers  and 
knitted  shirts;  their 
caps  were  of  wool 
and  fitted  close  to  the 
head,  with  a  tassel 
hanging  down  from 

the  peak,  and  on  their  feet  they  had  high  stockings  with  wooden  shoes. 
As  they  walked  about  the  market  their  shoes  clattered  rather  loudly 
upon  the  concrete  flooring.  They  are  accustomed  all  their  lives  to 
these  wooden  shoes,  and  wear  them  with  that  perfect  ease  which  is 


WAITING    FOR    THE    TIDE. 


26         THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

the  result  of  long  practice.  Some  of  them  had  sashes  or  belts  to  hold 
their  trousers  in  place,  as  they  were  guiltless  of  suspenders,  and  we  saw 
one  man  who  had  substituted  a  piece  of  rope  for  the  sash.  The  men 
were  rough  and  uncouth  in  appearance,  but  their  manners  were  civil, 
and  they  courteously  answered  all  our  questions,  although  it  was  ap- 
parent from  the  first  that  we  had  not  come  to  purchase  fish,  but  only 
out  of  curiosity. 

"  One  of  the  women  seemed  to  take  a  liking  to  Mary  when  she  found 
they  could  converse  intelligibly,  although  her  French  was  a  good  deal 
unlike  that  of  the  girl's.  The  peasant  dialect  of  Normandy  contains  a 
great  many  words  that  are  not  found  in  Parisian  French,  but  the  differ- 
ence is  not  so  great  as  that  between  the  English  tongue  of  London  and 
that  of  Yorkshire.  The  Norman  fishing  women  wear  the  same  sort  of 
shoes  as  the  men  wear,  and  the  white  caps  that  cover  their  heads  are 
only  a  little  different  from  those  of  their  husbands  and  brothers.  The 
skirts  of  their  dresses  reach  a  little  below  the  knee,  and  sometimes  half- 
way to  the  ankle;  some  dresses  are  longer  than  others,  but  you  never 
see  one  of  them  long  enough  to  sweep  the  ground,  or  even  touch  it.  The 
upper  part  of  the  dress  is  a  coat  or  jacket  gathered  in  at  the  waist,  where 
it  is  often  held  by  a  sash,  or,  maybe,  a  cord  or  belt.  For  Sundays  or 
festive  occasions  they  have  capes  over  their  jackets,  and  the  Sunday 
dress  is  so  carefully  kept  that  it  lasts  a  good  many  years. 

"We  found  that  here,  as  iu  Holland  and  Germany,  the  women  do  a 
great  deal  of  work  out-of-doors,  and  many  of  them  seem  quite  as  robust 
as  the  men  and  as  little  afraid  of  exercising  their  muscles.  They  help 
in  handling  the  boats,  hauling  the  nets,  sorting  and  carrying  fish,  and 
doing  other  work  that  requires  strength  and  experience.  Very  often 
the  hardest  of  the  work  falls  to  them  ;  but  you  are  not  likely  to  see  on 
the  Normandy  coast  a  repetition  of  the  scene  in  Holland,  where  a  woman 
ami  a  dog  were  towing  a  boat,  and  a  man  was  sitting  at  the  helm  and 
comfortably  smoking  a  pipe  while  he  steered  the  boat  along  the  canal. 

"  Mary's  new  friend  called  her  attention  to  some  mussels,  those  de- 
licious shell-tish  which  are  sold  in  great  quantities  both  in  England  and 
France.  Mary  asked  where  they  came  from  and  how  they  were  caught, 
and  the  woman  endeavored  to  enlighten  her. 

'"We  find  them  on  the  rocks  all  along  the  coast,'  was  the  explana- 
tion, which  I'll  put  into  plain  English, '  or.  rather,  on  a  good  many  of  the 
rocks.  We  go  out  at  low  tide  with  baskets  on  our  shoulders  and  knives 
in  our  hands,  and  find  the  mussels  clinging  to  the  rocks  among  the  sea- 
weed.     They  seem  to  grow  there  between  the  tides.     It  takes  a  sharp 


MUSSEL-CATCHING. 


•M 


FISHERWOMEN. 


eye  to  find  them,  and  I  could  fill  my  basket  before  you  ("if  you've  never 
gone  musseling)  could  gather  a  dozen.' 

"  Mary  acknowledged  that  she  wasn't  familiar  with  mussel-catching, 
and  then  the  woman  went  on  to  tell  her  that  she  liked  it  better  than 
any  other  work.  *  You  see,'  she  said, '  we  go  out  together,  old  women 
and  middle-aged  and  young,  and  we  talk  and  laugh  and  have  a  good 
time,  when  all  the  while  we  are  filling  our  baskets.  "We  follow  the  tide 
as  it  goes  out,  and  then  when  it-  turns  and  comes  in  we  work  along  be-, 
fore  it  till  it  drives  us  away.  By  the  time  we  get  to  the  mark  of  high- 
water  our  baskets  are  full  if  we  have  worked  diligently,  and  sometimes 
we  go  two  or  three,  or,  perhaps,  half  a  dozen,  times  in  a  single  tide.  At 
the  beach  we  find  the  carts  that  are  waiting  for  our  loads,  or  perhaps 
we  empty  the  mussels  into  a  boat  if  they  are  to  come  to  market  by 
water,  as  many  of  them  do.1 

"  Mary  suggested  that  it  must  be  very  wet  work  among  the  rocks. 
To  this  suggestion  the  woman  tossed  her  head  with  a  laugh,  and  replied 
that  nobody  minded  a  wetting ;  if  she  did,  she  wasn't  fit  to  be  a  fisher- 
man's wife  or  sister.     Then  she  called  attention  to  a  quantity  of  shrimps 


28         THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

on  one  of  the  tables,  and  asked  Alary  if  she  would  like  to  go  out  and 
catch  those  creeping-  things. 

"  Mary  was  in  doubt,  and  said  she  would  have  to  think  over  the  ques- 
tion before  giving  an  answer.  Her  friend  told  her  that  the  shrimp  is 
caught  in  the  water  as  the  tide  recedes ;  the  shrimper  follows  closely 
after  the  tide,  armed  with  basket  and  net,  and  she  dips  her  net  in  the 
pools  among  the  rocks.  '  When  she  casts  her  net,'  was  the  explanation, 
'  she  does  not  know  whether  she  will  catch  anything  or  not ;  she  takes 
the  chance  upon  it,  and  may  bring  up  nothing,  perhaps  a  shrimp  or  two, 
or  perhaps  a  great  many.  She  must  wade  about  in  the  water,  which  is 
often  up  to  her  knees,  but  of  course  that's  nothing  to  her  if  she  can  only 
fill  her  basket  with  shrimps.'" 

The  visit  to  the  fish-market  and  the  talk  with  the  good-natured  woman 
there  was  the  natural  prelude  to  a  visit,  a  few  days  later,  to  the  fishing 
village  of  Etretat  (A-tree-to?-),  a  few  miles  up  the  coast.  We  call  it  a 
fishing-  village,  though  it  is  also  a  fashionable,  or  semi-fashionable,  resort, 
and  has  a  considerable  number  of  hotels  and  boarding-houses  that  are 
filled  in  summer  with  people  Avho  go  to  enjoy  themselves  at  the  sea-side. 
But  as  our  friends  went  there  solely  to  look  at  the  fishing  people,  we 
will  not  concern  ourselves  with  the  summer  visitors,  of  whom,  by-the- 
way,  they  saw  very  little. 

Half  the  beach  has  been  given  up  to  the  demands  of  recreation,  and 
the  other  half  is  exclusively  held  by  the  fisher  folks.  There  is  a  scene 
of  almost  constant  activity  there,  but  it  is  greatest  in  the  morning,  as  at 
most  fishing  places  the  world  over.  Whenever  a  boat  arrives  there  is 
more  or  less  excitement ;  formerly  nearly  all  the  fish  that  were  taken 
were  sent  to  the  markets  of  Paris  or  Havre,  but  the  many  mouths  to  be 
fed  at  the  summer  hotels  make  a  local  demand  that  often  is  of  material 
advantage  to  the  fishers. 

When  a  boat  arrives  a  group  is  sure  to  gather  to  welcome  it.  It  is 
composed  of  many  idlers  and  strangers,  drawn  there  for  curiosity  or  to 
pass  the  time ;  but  it  also  includes  those  who  are  on  the  alert  to  purchase 
the  harvest  of  the  sea,  and,  surest  and  best  of  all,  the  wives  and  children 
of  the  men  in  the  boat, 

Our  friends  saw  the  arrival  of  a  fishing-boat  at  the  beach  of  Etretat, 
and  it  is  thus  described  by  Frank  : 

"  While  we  were  on  the  cliff  above  the  village  we  saw  two  women 
watching  intently  with  a  glass,  and  evidently  on  the  lookout  for  a  boat, 
Presently  the  one  who  held  the  telescope  uttered  a  joyful  cry,  which 
was  echoed  by  another,  who  held  a  child  in  her  arms  ;  then  the  glass  was 


'-  WWW- 

mm  r 


30         THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

closed,  and  the  two  women  started  for  the  beach,  whither  we  followed 
them  a  little  while  afterwards. 

"  We  saw  the  boat,  a  speck  on  the  horizon  ;  but  very  soon  it  grew  into 
the  well-defined  figure  of  a  boat  speeding  straight  for  the  beach  at  Etre- 
tat.  When  it  touched  the  beach  one  of  the  men  sprang  to  the  shore, 
seized  the  baby  in  his  arms  and  kissed  it,  and  then  kissed  the  woman, 
who  seemed  to  regard  it  as  all  right  that  the  child  should  have  the 
first  attention.  As  soon  as  the  greetings  were  over  the  boat  was  hauled 
up  by  means  of  a  capstan  and  strong  rope. 

"  The  lioats  must  be  built  very  strongly  to  enable  them  to  withstand 
the  strain  of  being  dragged  over  the  sand  and  pebbles  every  time  they 
come  to  land.  Boards  and  billets  of  wood  covered  with  grease  are 
placed  beneath  the  keel  to  lessen  or  prevent  damage ;  but  even  with 
these  preventatives  it  seems  to  us  that  the  boats  must  suffer  a  good 
deal.  They  are  hauled  up  so  that  when  the  tide  is  at  its  full  they  will 
float  and  be  all  ready  for  sailing  away  on  another  voyage. 

"  When  the  boat  had  been  brought  to  where  it  was  wanted  the  fish 
were  taken  out  of  it  and  thrown  on  the  beach.  Then  they  were  sold  at 
auction,  and  anybody  who  was  present  had  a  right  to  bid.  Women 
from  the  fish- market  of  Etretat  were  among  the  bidders ;  so  were  the 
proprietors  of  hotels  and  boarding- houses,  and  also  the  citizens  who 
dwelt  in  their  own  homes  and  were  trying  to  supply  their  tables  at  the 
lowest  possible  price.  Then,  too,  there  were  agents  of  the  dealers  in 
Paris  and  Havre  ;  and,  furthermore,  the  owner  of  the  boat  had  the  right 
of  refusing  all  bids  if  he  thought  he  could  do  better  at  private  sale.  But 
this,  we  are  told,  is  rarely  the  case,  as  some  of  the  bidders  are  sure  to  go 
to  the  very  smallest  limit  that  will  leave  any  profit  at  all  on  the  sale  of 
the  fish  to  the  consumer. 

"  The  fish  for  which  there  seemed  to  be  greatest  demand  was  the  sole. 
The  boat  that  we  saw  had  only  a  dozen  or  so  of  these  fish,  and  there 
was  sharp  competition  for  them  among  the  hotel-keepers  and  other  con- 
sumers. So  sharp  was  it  that  the  fishermen  probably  obtained  more  for 
their  prizes  than  they  would  have  brought  in  the  market  of  Paris,  mak- 
ing no  allowance  for  the  expense  of  transportation  and  the  profits  of  the 
middlemen.  This  country  is  no  exception  to  the  rule  that  articles  are 
often  dearer  at  the  place  of  production  than  in  the  great  cities. 

•'  We  asked  about  the  management  of  the  fishing  business,  and  were 
told  that  the  fishermen  had  rules  of  their  own  which  had  been  in  force 
for  centuries,  and  had  all  the  strength  of  law — in  fact,  they  were  stronger 
than  any  laws  of  the  land,  as  they  were  never  disputed,  and  no  one 


A    SHRIMPER. 


32         THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

thought  of  calling  them  unjust.  The  men  attend  to  the  work  of  the  sea, 
while  the  women  care  for  the  houses,  sell  the  iish,  and  manage  all  that 
pertains  to  the  land.  The  owner  of  a  lishing-boat  commands  it,  or. 
rather,  the  largest  owner,  as  very  often  several  persons  have  an  interest 
in  the  craft.  Sometimes  the  captain  owns  only  the  hull  of  the  boat, 
while  another  owns  the  sails  and  rigging,  and  another  the  nets,  while 
perhaps  a  fourth  owns  the  capstan  and  the  rope  by  which  the  boat  is 
hauled  upon  the  beach.  Sometimes  the  boats  are  owned  by  patrons — 
men  who  do  not  go  on  the  water  themselves,  but  supply  the  craft  for 
those  who  do.  In  any  case,  all  those  interested  either  in  the  owner- 
ship or  management  of  the  boat  are  paid  by  a  proportionate  share  of  the 
profits,  if  any  there  are.  In  good  seasons  they  receive  a  fair  return, 
while  in  bad  seasons  the  summer's  toil  will  amount  to  but  little. 

'•  "\V~e  had  an  opportunity  to  see  the  interior  of  a  fisherman's  dwelling, 
and  you  may  be  sure  we  embraced  it.  It  was  a  rude  hut  externally  and 
not  very  spacious,  but  never  was  there  a  cleaner  or  more  tidy  house  in 
all  New  England,  or,  at  any  rate,  none  that  any  of  us  ever  saw.  The 
floor  was  of  brick,  but  so  well  was  it  scoured  that  we  thought  it  was  laid 
in  polished  tiles  until  we  examined  it  more  closely  than  at  the  first 
glance.  At  one  side  of  the  kitchen,  the  first  room  we  entered,  there  was 
a  series  of  shelves,  on  which  were  plates,  cups,  saucers,  and  other  table 
ornaments ;  and  ornaments  they  really  were,  as  they  were  very  old  and 
of  a  pattern  that  is  now  very  rarely  found.  The  woman  who  showed  us 
the  house  said  the  plates  had  belonged  to  her  grandmother,  and  she 
didn't  know  but  they  might  have  been  the  property  of  "grandmother's 
grandmother."  too.  and  perhaps  of  her  grandmother. 

'•  There  was  a  great  fireplace  at  one  side  of  the  room,  and  above  it 
were  several  stewpans  and  other  kitchen  utensils  of  copper,  all  of  them 
scoured  so  perfectly  that  you  might  have  wiped  them  with  a  cambric 
handkerchief  without  soiling  it.  Everything  about  the  place  was  as 
clean  as  it  could  possibly  be  made. 

"  The  woman  invited  mamma  and  Mary  to  the  upper  rooms  of  the 
house,  and  they  disappeared  up  a  very  narrow  and  crooked  stair-way. 
Mary  says  there  were  two  sleeping-rooms  in  the  upper  story,  and  the 
linen  was  as  spotless  in  its  whiteness  as  any  that  they  saw  in  the  houses 
of  Holland  or  Vierlande.  or  any  other  house  they  visited  in  the  Xorth 
of  Europe.  At  the  top  of  the  staircase  there  was  a  great  armoire,  which 
the  woman  unlocked,  and  skowed'piles  upon  piles  of  sheets  and  towels 
and  other  linen  for  household  use.  Evidently  the  family  was  not  a  poor 
one,  and  from  all  we  can  see  there  is  little  real  poverty  among  these 


THE   FISHERS'   RETURN. 


33 


fisher  folks.    They  work  hard  for  their  living,  and  all  take  a  hand  in  the 
work,  and  their  honesty  and  industry  are  rewarded. 

"A  gentleman  who  is  familiar  with  these  people  tells  us  that  the 
Normandy  fishermen  are   the  descendants  of  the  ancient  Norsemen. 


/ 


J 


|M    vA/  They  live  on  the  coast,  and  de- 

'^.       \\v        vj  \  vote  their  whole  lives  to  the 

'  sea.     They  never    intermarry 

with  the  farmer  peasants  in  the 

country  just  back  of  them,  but 

remain  a  distinct  people,  with 

little  change  among  them,  in  spite  of  the  temptations  to  go  elsewhere 

and  the  demoralizing  presence  of  crowds  of  strangers  during  the  summer 

3 


WATCHING    FOR    THE    BOAT. 


34        THE  BUY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  El'KOPE. 

months.  They  preserve  their  primitive  customs  to  a  remarkable  degree 
when  their  surroundings  are  considered,  and  altogether  are  a  very  pict- 
uresque and  interesting  portion  of  the  inhabitants  of  France." 

We  will  now  return  to  Havre,  the  greatest  seaport  of  the  Atlantic 
seaboard  of  the  French  republic,  and  the  one  that  has  the  most  intimate 
relations  with  America. 

Frank  and  Fred  took  the  first  opportunity  that  presented  itself  to 
visit  the  docks  that  have  been  constructed  at  great  expense,  and  with- 
out which  the  commerce  of  the  city  would  be  comparatively  insignifi- 
cant. The  first  of  these  docks,  the  Bassin  du  Koi.  and  sometimes  called 
Vieux  Bassin,  was  made  in  1601).  a  hundred  and  fifty  years  after  the 
founding  of  the  city  by  Francois  1.  That  enterprising  ruler  ordered  a 
wall  of  protection  to  be  built  here,  and  a  port  established  on  the  site  of 
what  was  then  a  fishing  village  tributary  to  Ilarfleur.  the  sovereign 
port,  four  miles  away.  All  the  commerce  of  this  part  of  the  coast  was 
centred  at  Ilarfleur  previous  to  that  time,  and  so  important  was  the 
place  that  it  was  stubbornly  fought  for  in  the  wars  between  France  and 
England.  How  times  have  changed !  Havre  has  grown  to  an  impor- 
tance of  which  all  the  world  knows  in  a  general  way,  while  Harrleur 
has  diminished  to  a  population  of  barely  two  thousand,  its  harbor  is 
rilled  with  sand,  and  its  only  fleet  consists  of  a  few  fishing-boats. 

Nearly  all  that  remains  to  show  the  former  greatness  of  Harrleur  is 
a  Gothic  church,  one  of  the  finest  in  Normandy,  and  the  chateau  which 
was  once  the  royal  palace.  Our  friends  had  a  delightful  drive  to  Har- 
lieur.  and  extended  their  excursion  so  as  to  include  Bouelles  and  the 
forest  of  Mont  Geon.  The  drive  was  taken  in  the  forenoon,  when  the 
ground  was  moist  and  the  trees  and  grasses  were  glistening  with  the 
effect  of  a  heavy  shower  during  the  night.  <  >n  their  return  Mrs.  Bas- 
sett  declared  that  she  did  not  in  all  her  experience  remember  a  drive 
that  was  more  interesting  or  presented  more  points  for  admiration. 

When  the  Bassin  du  Eoi  (King's  Dock)  was  built  it  was  thought  to  be 
ample  for  the  needs  of  the  port  for  a  long  time ;  but  before  many  years 
other  docks  were  needed,  and  then  others,  and  so  from  time  to  time  the 
system  of  docks  has  been  extended,  and  is  not  yet  complete.  There  are 
nine  docks  in  all,  and  as  we  write  a  new  one  is  in  process  of  construc- 
tion, and  in  course  of  time  will  be  followed  by  others. 

"The  largest  of  the  docks,"  said  Frank,  "is  that  of  the  Eure,  which 
has  a  surface  of  fifty-three  acres  and  a  mile  and  a  quarter  of  quays. 
The  water  in  this  dock  has  a  depth  of  thirty  feet,  and  there  is  a  dry- 
dock  connected  with  it  which  is  capable  of  holding  the  largest  of  the 


A    NORMAN"    INTERIOR. 


36 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


ships  that  visit  the  port  of  Havre.  .lust  think  what  an  amount  of  work 
was  necessary  to  dig  away  the  earth  and  build  the  walls  of  this  one 
dock,  and  then  remember  that  there  are  eight  other  docks,  though  none 
of  them  are  as  large  as  this  one.  The  old  accounts  have  been  lost,  and 
so  it  is  impossible  to  say  what  has  been  the  cost  of  these  docks;  but  it  is 
said  that  more  than  fifty  millions  of  dollars  have  been  expended  upon 
them  in  the  last  twenty-five  years.  Two  thousand  ships  can  be  accom- 
modated in  the  docks  of  Havre  without  crowding. 


IN    THE    HARBOR, 


"The  great  steamers  use  the  Eure  Dock,  but  steamers  are  not  by  any 
means  confined  to  it.  We  found  steamers  in  other  docks  and  mixed  up 
with  sailing-ships,  with  the  exception  of  the  Bassin  du  Commerce  (Com- 
merce Dock),  which  was  full  of  sailing  craft  without  a  single  steamer. 
The  Bassin  du  Commerce  is  the  oldest,  with  the  exception  of  the  Bassin 
du  Roi,  and  has  recently  been  enlarged  and  deepened  to  accommodate 
it  to  the  increased  tonnage  of  modern  ships.  At  one  end  of  this  dock 
is  the  square  named  after  Louis  XVI.,  and  a  very  pretty  square  it  is. 


DEPARTURE  OP  AN  OCEAN  STEAMER.  37 

We  went  there  in  the  evening  to  listen  to  the  music,  and  found  the  place 
well  tilled  with  people,  who  sat  in  front  of  the  cafes  or  lounged  beneath 
the  trees.  The  principal  theatre  of  Havre  is  at  one  side  of  the  square, 
and  at  the  edge  of  the  dock  is  some  ponderous  machinery  for  inserting 
or  removing  the  masts  of  ships. 

"We  were  fortunate  enough  to  be  present  at  the  departure  of  a  great 
steamship  from  the  Eure  Basin.  It  is  hardly  necessary  to  say  that  the 
time  of  leaving  is  fixed  for  the  highest  point  of  the  tide,  and  everything 
must  be  ready  for  the  hour  named.  Then  the  gates  at  the  entrance  of 
the  dock  are  opened,  the  engines  of  the  steamer  are  put  in  motion,  the 
lines  that  held  her  to  the  quay  are  cast  off,  and  with  two  or  three  pow- 
erful tug-boats  to  aid  her  in  turning,  the  unwieldy  vessel  gets  under  way. 
An  ocean  steamer  may  '  walk  the  water  like  a  thing  of  life '  when  she 
is  away  from  land  and  has  all  the  room  she  desires,  but  when  in  port 
she  is  as  clumsy  as  a  rheumatic  hippopotamus.  In  the  docks  here  at 
Havre  she  cannot  move  without  the  aid  of  the  noisy  little  tugs  that  bus- 
tle about  with  an  appearance  of  being  fully  sensible  of  their  importance. 

"  In  the  instance  I  describe,  the  tugs  pulled  at  the  bow  and  stern  of 
the  great  steamer,  now  in  one  direction  and  now  in  another;  and  though 
she  came  very  close  to  other  vessels  in  the  dock,  she  did  not  harm  any 
of  them,  nor  did  she  scrape  her  sides  against  the  walls  at  the  gate-ways, 
though  she  didn't  seem  to  be  more  than  a  foot  or  two  from  them  on 
either  side.  Sometimes  she  shut  off  steam  altogether,  and  depended 
entirely  on  the  tugs,  and  sometimes  her  engines  were  going,  but  never 
at  higher  than  half-speed.  By-and-by  she  got  outside,  amid  the  cheer- 
ing of  the  people  at  the  semaphore,  and  when  well  at  sea  she  dropped 
the  tugs,  quickened  her  speed,  and  was  off  for  her  port  of  destination  on 
the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic." 

"  Plow  funny  it  looks,"  said  Mary,  "  to  see  those  great  ships  going 
along  among  the  warehouses  as  though  they  were  on  land  instead  of 
water !" 

"  Yes,"  said  Fred  ;  "  it's  a  good  deal  like  starting  in  a  steamer  from 
the  City  Hall  of  New  York,  going  down  Broadway  to  Wall  Street,  and 
then  turning  off  towards  the  East  River,  to  come  out  at  the  ferry." 

"  What  is  the  meaning  of  '  C.  G.  T.'  on  the  flag  of  the  great  steamer?" 
Mrs.  Bassett  asked. 

"  That  is  the  flag  of  the  Compagnie  Generale  Transatlantique," 
Frank  replied,  "the  great  steamship  company  that  we  talked  about 
when  we  were  coming  here  from  Southampton.  The  people  of  Havre 
are  very  proud  of  it,  and  with  good  reason." 


38 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


"Why  so?" 

"Because  a  great  deal  of  the  prosperity  of  the  port  is  due  to  the 
steamship  company.  It  has  spent  a  large  amount  of  money  in  improv- 
ing the  harbor  and  docks  and  the  facilities  for  receiving  and  sending: 
away  freight.     It  has  a  fleet  of  sixty  or  seventy  ships,  and  many  of 

them  arc  of  very  heavy  ton- 
nage; and  when  you  remember 
that  the  line  between  Havre 
and  New  York  occupies  only 
six  of  the  ships,  you  can  imag- 
ine what  an  extensive  business 
it  has.  It  has  a  line  between 
Havre  ami  Colon  on  the  Isth- 
mus of  Panama,  another  be- 
tween Saint-Xazaire  and  Colon, 

b     another  from  Saint-Xazaire  to 

4 

I    Vera  Cruz,  and  one  from  Mar- 

seilles  to  Vera  Cruz.  Then  it 
has  lines  to  South  America,  ami 
several  branch  lines,  and  I  don't 
know  exactly  how  many  lines  it 
has  in  the  Mediterranean,  which 
are  not  transatlantic  at  all." 

"  Is  all  the  business  directed 
from  here  '."  Mary  asked. 

"  Xo :  the  seat  of  the  admin- 
istration is  at  Paris,  where  all 
questions  of  importance  are  de- 
cided, and  sometimes  trivial  matters  that  arise  at  sea  are  referred  there." 
As  he  said  this  Frank  looked  significantly  towards  Doctor  Bronson. 
who  proceeded  to  give  an  example  of  Frank's  assertion. 

"  Once  when  I  was  on  board  one  of  the  company's  vessels  in  the 
middle  of  the  Atlantic.  I  asked  the  first  officer  to  allow  me  to  open  the 
window  of  my  cabin.  It  was  during  the  evening,  the  weather  was  very 
hot,  the  sea  was  smooth  as  a  pond,  and  the  cabin  was  like  an  oven.  The 
officer  said  it  could  not  be  allowed  unless  I  first  obtained  the  permission 
of  the  administration  at  Paris !  Then  I  asked  if  he  would  kindly  send 
a  telegram  at  once  saying  what  I  wanted.  He  replied,  in  the  most  ap- 
parent innocence,  that  they  had  no  telegraph  line  from  the  ship,  and 
therefore  it  would  be  impossible  to  send  the  inquiry  I  suggested." 


A    CAPTAIN    OK    THE  "  C.  G.  T." 


PASSENGERS   OF   ALL   SORTS. 


sy 


CHAPTER   III. 

COMPLEX  RULES  OF  THE  "C.  G.  T."— TARIFF  FOR  DOGS,  MONKEYS,  AND  PARROTS.— 
COMMERCE  OF  HAVRE.— WOMEN  UNLOADING  SHIPS.— "PAUL  AND  VIRGINIA." 
—MONUMENT  TO  ITS  AUTHOR.— ANCIENT  HOUSES  IN  HAVRE.— JOHN  LAW 
AND  THE  SOUTH  SEA  BUBBLE.— NEW  USE  FOR  LOGWOOD.— WHY  AMERICAN 
CIDER  IS  SENT  TO  FRANCE.— FRENCH  EXPLORATION  OF  THE  NEW  WORLD.— 
JACQUES  CARTIER  AND  OTHER  NAVIGATORS. —FROM  HAVRE  TO  TROUVILLE.— 
THE  MOST  FASHIONABLE  OF  SEA-SIDE  RESORTS.— THE  BEACH  AND  THE  RULES 
FOR  BATHING.— SCENES  AT  THE  BATHING  HOUR.— MISHAP  TO  BATHERS  AND 
THE  RESULT.— THE  BEACH  AT  LOW  TIDE.— THE  CASINO  IN  THE  EVENING.— 
DANCING  AND   GAMING. 


IK"  further  conversation  about  the  "  C.  G.  T.,"  Mrs.  Bassett  and  Mary 
learned  that  the  regulations  of  the  company  were  very  numerous  and 
minute,  in  the 
effort  to  cover 
all  possible  con- 
tingencies. It 
is  stated  in  the 
company's  cir- 
cular that  chil- 
dren under  three 
years  of  age, 
accompanying 
their  parents, 
are  carried  free ; 
those  from  three 
to  eight  years 
pay  one-quarter 
fare;  from  eight 
to  twelve  years, 
half    fare ;    and 

above  twelve  years,  full  fare.  The  circular  adds  that  if  there  be  several 
children  under  three  years  of  age  in  a  family,  free  passage  is  allowed  to 
only  one  of  them,  the  others  paying  quarter  fare.     Then  follows  a  long 


A    PASSBM6ER    FOR    FIFTY    FRANCS. 


U)  THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

series  of  rules  regarding  baggage,  servants,  and  the  rights  of  passengers 
in  the  cabins,  and  the  regulations  close  with  the  statement  that  passen- 
gers must  pay  fifty  francs  for  each  dog  or  monkey,  and  twenty  francs 
for  each  parrot,  Mary  asked  if  there  was  a  tariff  for  snakes,  turtles, 
elephants,  hippopotami,  lions,  or  tigers,  but  on  this  point  the  youths 
were  unable  to  afford  the  desired  information. 

In  his  pursuit  of  knowledge  Fred  made  note  of  the  fact  that  more 
than  half  a  million  bales  of  American  cotton  entered  the  port  of  Havre 
in  a  single  year,  two  hundred  thousand  barrels  of  petroleum,  and  more 
than  three  million  bushels  of  American  grain.  The  total  business  of 
the  port  is  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  millions  of  dollars  annually  in 
imports  and  exports,  and  about  one-fifth  of  the  whole  foreign  commerce 
of  France  is  carried  on  through  Havre.  Year  by  year  the  commerce 
of  the  port  increases,  and  Havre  is  to  France  what  Liverpool  is  to  the 
United  Kingdom  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland. 

While  they  were  visiting  the  docks  Mrs.  Bassett  called  attention  to 
the  circumstance  that  the  work  of  loading  and  unloading;  vessels  was 
not  monopolized  by  the  men.  Women  were  carrying  boxes  and  bales 
or  rolling  barrels  and  hogsheads  with  a  facility  that  could  only  be  the 
result  of  long  experience.  Doctor  Bronson  said  that  the  sight  of  women 
performing  heavy  work  was  not  at  all  unusual  all  through  France,  and 
it  was  especially  to  be  seen  along  the  seaboard. 

"  You  will  find  as  you  go  through  the  country,'1  said  the  Doctor, 
'•  that  women  have  a  very  prominent  place  in  the  daily  affairs  of  life. 
The  most  of  the  small  shops  are  managed  by  them  to  a  great  extent ; 
they  keep  the  accounts,  attend  behind  the  counters,  and  in  other  ways 
show  themselves  both  willing  and  capable.  If  an  American  shopkeeper 
would  consent  to  allow  his  wife  to  assist  him  in  his  business,  the  proba- 
bilities are  great  that  she  would  not  think  it  proper  that  he  should  do 
anything  of  the  kind.  In  France,  on  the  contrary,  the  wife  of  a  shop- 
keeper divides  the  cares  of  the  business  with  her  husband,  and  not  infre- 
quently  she  is  the  leader  in  the  management  of  it.  Four  times  out  of 
five  she  keeps  the  accounts  and  handles  the  money,  and  the  husband 
makes  no  transaction  of  consequence  without  fully  and  freely  consult- 
ing her  beforehand." 

"  A  very  sensible  people  they  are,''  said  Mrs.  Bassett ;  "  and  perhaps 
that  is  the  reason  why  France  is  so  prosperous.  I  wonder  when  the 
women  fell  into  the  custom  you  describe  ?" 

"  It  is  generally  said,"  replied  the  Doctor,  "  that  the  custom  arose 
during  the  wars  at  the  end  of  the  eighteenth  century  and  the  beginning 


FRENCHWOMEN  IN  BUSINESS. 


41 


of  the  nineteenth,  when  every  man  who  was  able  to  bear  arms  was 
forced  into  the  military  service,  leaving  only  the  old  men,  boys,  and 


WEN    AND    WOMEN    UNLOADING    A    STEAMER. 


women  at  home.  Work  with  hand  and  brain  fell  to  the  lot  of  women 
by  necessity,  and  hence  came  the  custom  which  has  ever  since  been 
maintained  throughout  all  the  country." 


42         THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

"Thank  you  for  the  explanation,"  said  Mrs.  Bassett. 

There  was  a  pause  which  was  broken  by  Frank,  who  turned  to  Mary 
and  asked  if  she  had  read  Paul  and  Virginia. 

"  Certainly  I  have,"  was  the  reply  ;  "  why  do  you  ask  V 

"Because,"  was  the  reply,  "its  author,  Bernardin  de  Saint -Pierre, 
was  born  at  Havre,  and  we  will  go  now  and  see  the  statue  which  the 
city  has  raised  to  his  memory." 

The  girl  was  ready  on  the  instant,  but  Frank  checked  her  impetuos- 
ity by  asking  if  she  knew  how  long  ago  the  famous  story  was  written. 

"I  don't  know  exactly,"  was  the  reply,  "but  think  it  was  a  hundred 
years  at  least." 

"You  have  guessed  pretty  closely,"  said  Frank.  •'Paul  and  Vir- 
ginia was  published  in  1789,  and  attained  great  popularity  at  once.  It 
has  been  pronounced  by  many  critics  the  finest  literary  production  in 
the  French  language,  and  some  have  gone  so  far  as  to  call  it  the  finest 
in  the  world.  It  has  been  translated  and  published  all  through  Europe 
and  America,  and  in  recent  years  it  has  been  rendered  into  Japanese  and 
some  other  Oriental  tongues." 

On  their  way  to  the  statue  Frank  further  said  that  the  author  of 
Paul  and  Virginia  was  of  an  erratic  disposition,  that  he  entered  the 
army  soon  after  completing  his  studies  at  the  military  college,  but  was 
dismissed  in  the  course  of  a  year  or  two  for  insubordination.  Then  he 
lived  four  years  in  Russia  as  a  civil  engineer.  Returning  to  his  own 
country,  he  obtained  an  appointment  to  the  Isle  of  France,  where  the 
scene  of  his  famous  story  is  laid.  Then  he  came  back  to  France  and 
devoted  himself  to  literature  until  his  death  in  1S1-L  He  named  his 
two  children  Paul  and  Virginia,  after  the  characters  in  the  romance. 

Mary  wrote  the  following  description  of  the  statue  : 

"It  represents  Bernardin  de  Saint-Pierre  seated,  with  a  pen  in  his 
right  hand,  which  rests  on  his  knee.  In  the  other  hand  is  a  manuscript 
on  which  we  could  read  the  words,  ' Paid  et  Virginia.'  He  is  dressed 
in  the  costume  of  his  time,  and  his  fine  head  is  bent  slightly  forward. 
At  his  feet  are  two  children  with  clasped  hands,  sleeping  under  a  trop- 
ical plant.  It  is  hardly  necessary  to  say  that  they  are  the  hero  and 
heroine  of  the  narrative." 

"  I  would  like  to  see  some  of  the  old  buildings  of  Havre,"  said  Mrs. 
Bassett  as  the  party  turned  away  from  the  inspection  of  the  statue  of 
Bernardin  de  Saint-Pierre. 

Frank  asked  the  coachman  to  take  them  to  some  of  the  most  vener- 
able structures,  if  anv  there  were. 


AN  ANCIENT  EDIFICE.  43 

The  driver  nodded  assent,  and  drove  to  a  building  which  certainly 
had  a  very  old  appearance.  On  its  front  was  the  date  "  1520."  Rudely 
carved  on  a  stone  over  the  door  were  the  figures  of  a  boatman  and  a 
man  on  horseback. 

Mrs.  Bassett  regarded  the  figures  with  a  good  deal  of  interest,  and 
then  asked  what  they  meant. 

"  The  house  was  originally  a  hotel,''  the  driver  explained,  his  words 
being  translated  by  Frank  for  Mrs.  Bassett's  benefit.  "  The  boatman 
and  horseman  indicate  that  there  was  accommodation  for  travellers  who 
came  in  the  only  modes  of  travel  known  at  the  time,  with  the  possible 
exception  of  walking." 

"  If  the  hotels  of  Havre  at  the  present  time  followed  the  same  cus- 
toms in  their  signs,"  Fred  remarked,  "  they  would  have  the  picture  of  a 


TRAVEL    BY    WATER 01.11    WAYS    AND    NEW. 


railway  train  and  a  steamer.  The  railway  has  taken  the  place  of  the 
saddle-horse,  and  the  steamer  is  a  great  improvement  on  the  rude  cara- 
vel of  the  sixteenth  century. 

"  Men  come  and  go  by  water  as  they  did  three  or  four  centuries  ago," 
added  Frank,  "  but  their  means  of  travel  are  vastly  different." 


44         THE  HOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

The  walls  of  the  old  city  are  gone,  and  there  are  very  few  traces  of 
the  work  of  Francois  I.  Down  to  1S63  the  Tower  of  Francois  I.  re- 
mained, but  the  march  of  improvement  swept  it  away  during  that  year. 
One  of  the  best  preserved  of  the  old  buildings  is  the  Marine  Arsenal, 
which  was  erected  in  1669,  and  bears  on  its  front  the  names  of  Jean 
Bart,  Duquesne,  Tourville,  Jacques  Cartier,  and  other  famous  navigat- 
ors of  France.  The  Government  Tobacco  Factory  is  a  large  building, 
where  John  Law,  of  South  Sea  Bubble  fame,  wished  to  establish  a  mint 
for  coining  the  money  to  be  made  in  his  speculations. 

At  the  mention  of  the  South  Sea  Bubble,  Mary  asked  Frank  to  tell 
her  about  it ;  she  had  heard  it  mentioned  before,  and  wished  to  know 
what  it  was  and  when  the  bubble  was  blown. 

"  It  is  a  long  story,"  Frank  answered,  "  but  I  will  try  to  put  it  in  a 
few  words.  John  Law  was  a  Scotchman,  who  was  born  in  1671.  He 
went  to  London  about  1694,  where  he  supported  himself  by  gaming, 
and  after  killing  a  man  in  a  duel  he  fled  to  France.  About  1715  he  per- 
suaded the  Duke  of  Orleans,  Regent  of  France,  to  give  him  a  charter  for 
a  bank,  and  also  a  monopoly  of  French  trade  with  America.  China,  In- 
dia, and  the  rest  of  the  world,  wherever  trading  could  be  made  profita- 
ble. The  bank  was  known  as  Law  &  Company,  and  the  trading  monop- 
oly as  the  Mississippi  Company.  The  shares  were  eagerly  sought  by  the 
public,  and  rose  to  twenty  times  their  value.  Law  was  made  Prime- 
minister  of  France  in  1720,  but  in  the  same  year  his  schemes  collapsed 
and  the  shares  in  his  companies  became  worthless.  He  fled  from  France, 
and  died  in  poverty  in  Venice  a  few  years  later." 

"  But  what  had  he  to  do  with  the  South  Sea  Bubble  ?"  Mrs.  Bassett 
asked,  as  Frank  paused. 

"  Law's  banking  and  trading  scheme  was  called  a  bubble  on  account 
of  its  brilliancy  in  the  early  part  of  its  career  and  the  suddenness  with 
which  it  burst  into  nothing,"  was  the  reply.  "  While  his  Mississippi 
Company  was  rising  to  notice  in  France,  the  South  Sea  Company,  for 
the  purpose  of  trade  in  the  South  Seas,  was  organized  in  England ;  both 
of  these  speculations  went  to  pieces  about  the  same  time,  involving 
thousands  of  stockholders  in  ruin." 

'•  The  wildest  speculations  of  modern  times,"  said  Doctor  Bronson, 
"  are  of  a  very  tame  character  compared  with  the  excitement  over  the 
bubble  companies  of  John  Law  and  other  schemers.  For  days  and 
days  together  the  street  where  Law  had  his  office  was  blocked  with 
people  on  foot  or  in  carriages,  waiting  their  turns  to  subscribe  for 
shares,  and  pay  their  money.     The  excitement  spread  all  over  Europe. 


JOHN  LAW  AND  THE  SOUTH  SEA  BUBBLE. 


45 


Taver  Slons 


and  at  one  time  it  was  estimated  that  there  were  five  hundred  thou- 
sand strangers  in  Paris  who  had  come  there  for  the  purpose  of  specu- 
lating. Fortunes  were  made  and  lost  daily,  but  the  ultimate  result  of 
the  speculation  was  a  loss  to  nearly  every  one  concerned. 

"  While  the  speculation  was  going  on,"  the  Doctor  continued,  "  a 
great  many  caricatures 
were  published  in  which 
Law's  schemes  were 
held  up  to  ridicule. 
One  of  them  represents 
Law  seated  on  the  edge 
of  a  blast  of  wind,  hold- 
ing; a  string  attached 
to  several  bubbles  above 
him,  and  throwing  out 
bank-notes  that  seem  to 
come  from  a  cloud  near 
his  hand.  On  the  top 
of  his  hat  is  a  wind- 
mill, and  below  him  are 
the  words  :  '  The  wind 
is  my  treasure,  cushion, 
and  fountain.'  Anoth- 
er caricature  represents 
him  as  a  night  -  crier 
with  a  magic-lantern  on 
his  back,  and  calling 
out,  '  Shares  !  shares  ! 
shares !'  as  he  goes 
along  the  street." 

The  talk  about  Law  and  the  speculations  of  his  times  was  suddenly 
interrupted  by  Mrs.  Bassett  calling  attention  to  some  queer -looking 
wood  piled  on  the  quay  near  the  Bassin  du  Commerce,  and  asking  what 
kind  of  timber  it  was. 

"  That  is  logwood,"  said  the  Doctor ;  "  and  it  is  used  for  dyeing 
cloth,  leather,  and  other  things." 

"  I  have  heard  that  it  is  used  to  give  the  proper  tint  to  red  wine," 
Frank  remarked,  with  a  smile. 

"  I  have  heard  so,  too,"  the  Doctor  answered ;  "  and  though  the 
statement  is  denied  by  the  wine -dealers,  I  am  very  much  inclined  to 


CARICATURE    OB    JOHN    LAW AMSTERDAM,  1720. 


46        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

believe  it.  It  has  been  made  to  me  by  gentlemen  in  whose  veracity  I 
have  every  confidence,  and  there  was  no  reason  why  they  should  un- 
dertake to  deceive  me.  The  statement  was  that  about  one-third  of  the 
logwood  imported  into  France  was  used  tor  coloring  wines,  the  other 
two -thirds  being  used  for  dyeing  cloth,  leather,  and  kindred  articles. 
My  informants  said  that  a  great  quantity  of  the  lowest  grades  of 
French  red  wine  is  artificially  colored.  Red  wine  of  pure  manufacture 
is  dearer  than  white  wine,  and  so  the  enterprising  dealer  makes  use  of 
logwood  both  for  color  and  flavor." 

"  How  do  they  get  the  color  out  of  the  wood  and  into  the  wine  ?" 
Mrs.  Bassett  asked. 

"  The  wood  is  ground  in  a  mill  very  much  like  the  mill  used  by 
tanners  for  grinding  bark ;  the  dust  is  then  mixed  with  ordinary  white 
wine  in  a  vat,  and  allowed  to  remain  there  for  a  week,  the  contents 
of  the  vat  being  stirred  every  few  hours,  so  that  the  wine  may  come 
as  much  as  possible  in  contact  with  the  wood -dust.  The  coloring- 
matter  gives  the  proper  tint,  while  the  astringent  quality  of  the  wood 
gives  the  '  puckery '  taste  that  is  often  apparent  in  cheap  wines,  and 
is  not  at  all  disagreeable  to  a  great  many  drinkers.  At  the  end  of  a 
week  the  dust  is  allowed  to  settle  to  the  bottom  of  the  vat,  and  then 
the  wine  is  drawn  off  through  a  tine  strainer  into  casks  and  is  ready 
to  be  bottled  and  sent  to  market." 

"Isn't  it  possible  that  the  red  noses  of  many  wine-drinkers  are 
caused  by  the  logwood  in  the  wine?"  was  the  next  query  of  Mrs. 
Bassett  when  the  Doctor  paused. 

"  That  is  a  scientific  question  I  will  not  attempt  to  answer,"  was 
the  reply,  "any  more  than  to  explain  why  a  great  quantity  of  Ameri- 
can cider  is  imported  into  Havre  and  Rouen  every  year,  although  Xor- 
mandy  is  famous  for  the  large  quantity  and  fine  quality  of  the  cider 
it  produces.  My  French  friend  who  told  me  about  the  logwood  in 
wine  coloring  says  the  American  cider  can  lie  made  into  champagne 
better  than  can  the  Normandy  cider,  and  the  most  of  the  imported 
article  is  sent  back  to  America  in  the  shape  of  champagne  wine." 

When  our  friends  had  exhausted  their  curiosity  respecting  Havre 
and  its  vicinity,  they  went  to  Trouville  by  the  steamboat  that  runs 
twice  daily  each  way,  the  departures  being  fixed  for  the  time  of  high 
tide.  They  had  a  pleasant  run  of  about  two  hours,  crossing  the  mouth 
of  the  Seine,  which  is  here  enlarged  into  a  bay,  and  having  a  view  of 
Honfleur,  which  was  once  an  important  port,  but  is  now  little  better 
than  a    fishing  town.      It  has   a  few  factories  and  ship-yards,  but  its 


HONFLEUR   AND   ITS   HISTORY. 


47 


foreign  trade  has  diminished  to  the  shipment  of  eggs  and  other  farming 
products  to  the  nearest  ports  of  Great  Britain.  It  was  for  a  long  time 
in  the  hands  of  the  English,  and  holds  a  prominent  place  in  the  history 
of  the  wars  of  England  and  France  in  past  centuries.  Some  of  the 
founders  of  Quebec  in  Canada  were  from  Honfleur,  and  at  one  time  its 
mariners  were  to  be  found  on  all  the  oceans  and  seas  of  the  globe. 


MENDING     NETS     AT     LOW    TIDE. 


48 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


Mention  of  Honfleur  and  its  history  led  to  some  questions  relative 
to  the  French  settlement  of  the  New  World. 

Doctor  iJronson  recalled  the  circumstance  that  in  1493  the  Pope 


LANDING    OF    A    FRENCH    EXPEDITION    IN    THE    NEW    WOULD.       [From  nil  old  pliut.] 


issued  an  edict  under  which  Spain  and  Portugal  undertook  to  divide 
between  them  all  the  unexplored  portions  of  the  world.  According  to 
Bernal  Diaz,  the  Spanish  historian,  "the  King  of  France  sent  word  to 
our  great  Emperor  that  as  he  and  the  King  of  Portugal  had  divided 
the  earth  between  themselves  without  giving  him  a  share  of  it,  he 
should  like  them  to  show  him  our  father  Adam's  will  in  order  to  know 
if  he  had  made  them  his  sole  heirs."  The  King  of  France  intimated 
that  he  should  feel  quite  free  to  possess  himself  of  all  he  could  upon 
the  ocean  in  all  parts  of  the  globe. 

"  Not  only  did  the  French  king  claim  what  he  could  find  on  the 
water,"  said  Doctor  Bronson,  "  but  he  proceeded  to  annex  the  land  to 
his  dominions  without  troubling  himself  about  the  views  of  anybody 
else.  Some  of  the  maps  and  globes  of  the  sixteenth  century  contain 
the  name  '  Xew  F ranee'  on  a  large  part  of  the  American  Continent. 


FRENCH  EXPLORERS   IN  AMERICA. 


49 


and  there  is  one  map  (by  (Melius,  in  1572)  on  which  Xew  France  in- 
cludes the  whole  of  North  and  South  America. 

"  One  of  the  earliest  explorers  of  the  American  Continent,"  he  con- 
tinued, "  was  Jacques  Cartier,  who  was  the  first  white  man  to  navigate 
the  St.  Lawrence  River,  which  he  ascended  to  where  Montreal  now 
stands  just  below  the  Lachine  Rapids." 

u  Any  one  who  visits  Montreal  is  sure  to  be  reminded  of  him,"  Mrs. 
Bassett  remarked.  "They  have  street,  square,  landing-place,  and  I 
don't  know  what  else  named  after  him;  and  as  if  those  were  not 
enough,  they  call  their  cabmen  'carters,'  probably  an  abbreviation  of 
'  Cartiers.' " 

A  laugh  followed  her  effort  at  punning.  When  it  subsided,  the 
Doctor  made  some  further  remarks  about  the  colonization  of  America  by 
the  French,  and  the  subse- 
quent loss  by  France  of 
nearly  all  her  possessions 
on  the  western  shores  of 
the  Atlantic.  Then,  as 
the  boat  was  nearing 
Trouville,  the  past  was 
dropped  for  the  present, 
and  the  voyageurs  of  the 
sixteenth  century  gave 
place  to  the  more  mod- 
ern voyageurs,  whose 
steps  ordinarily  go  no 
farther  than  Trouville 
or  to  her  fashionable  re- 
sorts along  the  French 
coast. 

With  a  glass  Mary 
scanned  the  slope  just 
back  of  Trouville,  and 
presently  made  out  a 
group  of  people  lounging 
there  and  contemplat- 
ing the  approaching 
boat.  They  were  too  far 
off  for  personal  identification,  but  she  looked  closely  at  the  group,  think- 
ing it  possible  that  the  party  might  be  some  acquaintances  of  theirs 


JACQUES    CARTLER. 


50 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


from  Havre,  who  had  gone  to  Trouville  the  day  before  and  promised 
to  meet  them  there.  "They  said  they  would  look  out  for  us,"  said 
Mary  to  her  brother,  "and  they  are  the  only  people  I  can  see  who 
are  literally  '  looking-  out."  " 


ON  THE  LOOKOUT  AT  TROL'VILLE. 


But  she  was  wrong,  as  there  is  always  a  crowd  more  or  less  numer- 
ous at  the  landing-place  of  the  steamboat  when  it  arrives  from  Havre. 
Trouville  is  not  unlike  other  watering-places  the  world  over,  in  the 
circumstance  that  many  of  the  visitors  have  a  great  deal  of  idle  time 
on  their  hands,  and  are  glad  of  an  excuse  to  use  it  up.  They  go  to 
meet  the  boats,  although  not  expecting  any  friends  to  arrive  by  them, 
and  welcome  any  distraction,  however  trivial. 

The  courier  from  the  hotel  our  friends  had  chosen  was  put  in  charge 
of  their  baggage,  and  the  Doctor  suggested  that  the  distance  was  so 
short  and  the  day  so  pleasant  that  it  would  be  more  agreeable  to  walk 
than  to  ride.  So  our  friends  strolled  along  in  the  direction  of  the  hotel, 
no  guide  being  needed,  as  the  Doctor  had  been  there  before. 

That  Trouville  is  a  pleasure  resort  was  apparent  at  the  first  glance. 
There  is  an  old  town  with  venerable  edifices,  but  it  is  completely  eclipsed 
by  the  new  town,  which  has  grown  up  since  the  place  became  a  fashion- 
able resort.  Great  hotels,  and  small  ones,  too.  with  numerous  boarding- 
houses  and  private  residences,  have  sprung  up,  and  to  their  number  must 
be  added  the  Casino,  with  its  varied  facilities  for  amusing  the  visitors. 


SCENES   AT  TROUVILLE.  51 

Carriages  of  all  grades  and  kinds  roll  along  the  streets  and  roads,  and 
for  those  who  prefer  the  saddle  in  taking  their  exercise  there  are  horses 
and  donkeys.  Mrs.  Bassett  remarked  later  on  that  all  the  donkeys  at 
Trouville  were  not  quadrupedal,  her  observation  being  called  out  by  the 
assemblage  in  the  gaming-rooms  at  the  Casino  and  the  manner  in  which 
the  money  of  the  visitors  went  with  unfailing  certainty  into  the  hands 
of  the  keepers  of  the  game. 

To  Fred  was  assigned  the  duty  of  keeping  the  journal  of  what  they 
saw  and  did  at  Trouville,  and  we  are  permitted  to  make  a  few  extracts 
from  his  notes.  It  is  proper  to  remark  that  he  wTas  assisted  by  Frank 
and  Mary,  who  called  attention  to  various  matters  which  he  might  have 
omitted  without  their  aid. 

"  Geographically,"  wrote  Fred,  "  Trouville  is  in  the  department  of 
Calvados.  I  don't  know  that  any  one  of  us  has  yet  made  note  of  the 
fact  that  France  is  divided  into  dejjartements  which  are  the  equivalent 
of  counties  in  England  or  the  United  States,  though  considerably  larger 
than  counties  are  with  us.  There  are  87  departments  altogether,  and 
they  are  subdivided  into  362  arrondisements,  2865  cantons,  and  35,989 
communes.  I'll  tell  you  more  on  this  subject  later  on.  Let  us  stick  to 
Trouville  for  the  present  and  leave  other  matters  alone. 

"  Like  a  great  many  other  watering-places,  Trouville  came  into  notice 
rather  suddenly,  and  its  prominence  was  brought  about  by  some  French 
artists  and  men  of  letters  who  came  here  to  spend  the  summer,  paint  the 
scenery,  and  describe  it  in  books.  When  its  attractions  became  known 
other  artists  and  writers  came  along,  and  very  soon  the  general  public 
followed.  The  story  of  Trouville  has  been  repeated  on  our  side  of  the 
water  by  the  stories  of  Ear  Harbor,  Long  Branch,  Atlantic  City,  and 
other  well-known  and  popular  resorts.  Everybody  comes  to  Trouville 
because  everybody  else  does. 

"  There  are  many  English  people  here,  and  wTe  are  told  that  they  come 
early  in  the  season  and  stay  late.  The  season  at  Trouville  begins  about 
the  middle  of  June  and  closes  soon  after  October  1st.  French  people  of 
fashion  would  not  be  seen  here  before  the  opening  or  after  the  close, 
as  they  would  consider  their  characters  ruined  by  doing  anything  so 
much  out  of  the  common  course  of  things.  A  considerable  number  of 
visitors  are  those  who  travel  with  the  billet-circulaire,  or  circular  ticket, 
which  enables  the  traveller  to  visit  several  cities  and  points  on  the  coast 
within  a  certain  specified  time.  As  the  holder  of  a  circular  ticket  wants 
to  see  as  many  places  as  possible,  he  can  only  afford  a  day  or  two  to  each 
point  where  he  stops  off  from  the  railway  train.     The  circular  ticket  is 


52  THE    BOY   TRAVELLERS    IN   CENTRAL   EUROPE. 

by  no  means  unknown  in  America;  neither  is  the  circular  tourist  and 
his  ways,  as  every  hotel-keeper  can  testify. 

"The  scene  in  general  reminds  me  of  much  that  we  saw  at  Frascati's, 
which  may  be  taken  as  a  miniature  edition  of  Trouville.  But  Frascati 
cannot  compare  with  Trouville  in  its  beach,  which  is  of  the  softest  sand 
that  the  bather  could  wish  for  to  walk  upon  with  his  bare  feet.  There 
is  no  need  of  bathing-shoes  here,  but  fashion  prescribes  them.  The  style 
of  bathing-shoe  worn  at  Trouville  is  a  linen  gaiter  with  the  front  cut 
away  and  lacing  around  the  ankle.  Every  traveller  is  supposed  to  carry 
them  in  his  baggage,  but  any  one  who  comes  here  without  them  may 
find  an  abundance  in  the  shops  or  at  the  bathing-houses. 

"  Bathing  may  take  place  at  any  hour,  but  the  proper  time  for  it  is  at 
high  tide,  provided  it  does  not  interfere  with  dinner  or  some  other  en- 
tertainment of  a  practical  character.  Then  everybody  goes  to  the  beach, 
either  to  bathe  or  gaze  at  the  bathers,  or  upon  other  people  who  don't 
go  into  the  water.  The  non-bathers  are  far  more  numerous  than  those 
who  dip  into  the  sea,  and  of  those  who  venture  upon  bathing  there  is 
only  a  small  proportion  who  can  swim.  And  now  a  word  as  to  the 
bathing-dresses  which  are  the  fashion  here. 

"  Trousers  and  jacket,  the  latter  gathered  in  at  the  waist,  compose 
the  feminine  costume  of  Trouville,  together  with  an  oilskin  cap  to  keep 
the  hair  dry,  and  Amelias  (as  the  linen  slippers,  or  gaiters,  are  called)  for 
protection  to  the  feet.  (Mary  says  I  must  say  '  basque '  instead  of 
jacket,  and  then  it  will  be  better  understood  by  feminine  readers.  Well, 
then,  here  goes  for  basque.) 

"Some  of  the  bathing-dresses  are  elaborately  ornamented,  while 
others  are  plain  enough  to  satisfy  a  Quaker  of  the  time  of  Roger  Will- 
iams. Occasionally  you  see  an  American  woman  with  a  dress  of  the 
style  in  vogue  at  Newport  or  Bar  Harbor,  and  we  are  told  that  a  few  of 
the  French  visitors  have  copied  it.  But  the  fashion  is  not  likely  to 
change,  as  the  company  that  owns  the  bathing-houses  has  a  large  stock 
on  hand  of  the  old  pattern,  and  you  can  readily  understand  that  the 
views  of  the  managers  will  be  conservative. 

"  Everything  is  done  by  rule  here,  and  if  you  want  to  do  as  you 
please  your  only  course  will  be  to  please  to  do  as  the  regulations  require. 
The  '  bureau '  looks  after  everything,  and  when  you  want  a  bath  you 
must  begin  at  the  bureau  by  buying  the  needed  tickets.  I  say  tickets, 
because  there  ai'e  several  things  for  which  you  must  pay.  and  each  pay- 
ment requires  a  ticket.  There  is  the  simple  bath,  the  bath  with  a  cabin, 
and  the  bain  de  luxe ;   then  there  is  the  costume  (the  peignoir),  towels. 


mw4 

1l:i\ih<  H 


mmkArM 


54 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IX  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


head-dress,  slippers,  the  haigneur  (whose  occupations  were  described  at 
Havre),  the  master  or  mistress  of  the  baths,  together  with  a  variety  of 
extras  and  supplementary  things.  Doctor  Bronson  says  lie  is  reminded 
of  the  hotel  somewhere  along  the  Missouri  River  which  required  the 
traveller  to  pay  three  dollars  a  day,  with  meals  and  lodging  extra.  Tin- 
bathing-cabins  are  on  wheels,  so  that  they  can  be  moved  to  suit  the  tide; 
and  though  you  pay  by  ticket  for  the  cabin,  the  driver  of  the  horse  that 
moves  your  cabin  expects  a  gratuity  for  the  service.  If  the  horse  had 
been  educated  up  to  the  ability  to  demand  a  gratuity,  you  may  be  sure 
he  would  have  exacted  it  before  we  left  him. 

"  The  part  of  the  beach  allotted  to  bathers  is  divided  into  three  parts 
by  means  of  cables  that  run  far  out  into  the  water.  The  middle 
section  is  for  families,  and  on  either  side  of  it  are  the  sections  for 
women  or  men  exclusively.  Out  in  front  of  each  section  is  a  boat  se- 
curely anchored,  and  each  boat  has  steps  which  hang  over  the  stern  a 

*  foot  or  more  into 
v 


the  water.  The 
swimmers  go  out 
to  these  boats, 
which  are  in 
charge  of  skilful 
baigneurs,  and 
they  may  have 
instruction  in  the 
art  of  swimming 
if  they  desire  it, 
though  necessari- 
ly the  lessons  will 
be  short. 

""We  have  had 
our  share  of  fun, 
sitting  on  the 
beach  and  watch- 
ing the  bathers. 
There  are  fewer 
swimmers  among 
them  than  you 
will  see  in  the 
bathing  assem- 
blages    at     an 


AMATECP.    SHRIMPERS. 


ON   THE   BEACH.  55 

American  sea-side  resort,  and  many  of  those  who  are  able  to  swim  do 
so  very  awkwardly.  They  flounder  around  like  porpoises — no,  not 
like  porpoises,  because  those  denizens  of  the  deep  are  graceful  and  know 
how  to  take  care  of  themselves,  and  such  is  not  the  case  with  the  people 
we  are  considering. 

"  Yesterday  two  women  who  wanted  to  display  their  abilities  in  bath- 
ing created  a  scene  by  losing  control  of  themselves,  screaming  loudly, 
swallowing  a  quantity  of  salt-water,  and  running  quite  a  risk  of  being 
strangled.  The  iaigneurs  seized  them  and  brought  them  up  to  the  shore 
as  soon  as  possible.  One  of  the  women  fainted,  and  the  other  became 
hysterical  and  kept  on  screaming  after  she  had  been  stretched  on  the 
sand.  Both  were  liberally  drenched  with  water  from  buckets,  which 
stopped  the  shrieks  of  the  hysterical  one  and  brought  the  other  to  her 
senses.  Then  they  were  hurried  off  to  their  cabins,  where  the  attendants 
bathed  their  feet  in  hot  water  and  helped  them  assume  their  ordinary 
apparel.  As  Byron  says,  '  Both  were  young,  and  one  was  beautiful.1 
Fortunately  they  were  light  in  weight,  or  they  would  have  been  some- 
what difficult  for  the  iaigneurs  to  manage. 

"  There  is  a  delightful  stretch  of  beach  for  walking,  and  for  children 
and  dogs  to  play  upon  when  the  tide  is  out.  When  the  beach  happens 
to  be  uncovered  on  a  warm  afternoon  all  the  visiting  population  of  Trou- 
ville  seems  to  be  gathered  there.  The  older  ones  saunter  about,  young 
people  and  middle-aged  ones  play  at  croquet,  children  romp  and  have  a 
thorough^  'good  time,'  and  the  dogs  accompany  them  in  their  romp- 
ings,  unless  they  happen  to  belong  to  adult  and  dignified  persons,  whom 
they  are  obliged  to  follow  demurely.  Some  of  the  young  people  are  in 
their  bathing-dresses,  and  wander  about  in  the  pools  armed  with  nets 
and  baskets  for  the  purpose  of  catching  shrimps.  '  We  don't  get  many 
shrimps,'  said  an  English  girl  to  Mary  yesterday,  '  but  there's  a  great 
deal  of  fun  in  trying  to  catch  them.' 

"  Mrs.  Bassett  and  Mary  were  anxious  to  see  the  fashionable  prome- 
nade where  people  come  to  see  and  be  seen,  especially  the  latter.  Most 
of  the  women  are  well  dressed — better,  Mary  says,  than  the  men,  whose 
clothes  do  not  seem  to  fit  well.  Many  of  the  costumes  are  such  as  the 
owners  would  hardly  be  likely  to  wear  in  Paris  on  account  of  their 
'  loudness,'  but  there  is  a  freedom  of  taste  here  as  at  the  majority  of 
sea-side  resorts  the  world  over.  The  varieties  of  color  displayed  in  the 
dresses  and  hats  and  ribbons  of  the  women  might  almost  rouse  the  envy 
of  a  kaleidoscope ;  but  while  there  is  great  variety,  everything  is  har- 
monious and  shows  the  good  taste  of  the  French. 


56 


THE   BOY    TRAVELLERS    FN   CENTRAL   EUROPE. 


i  •■  ■ 

.  ■  •■    ■ 


TIJF.    TROMKNADE. 


"  \Ve  have  strolled  about  with  the  promenaders,  and  we  have  sat  on 
the  benches  and  looked  at  them  as  they  drifted  by.  Doctor  Branson 
says  it  is  like  looking  at  the  throng  on  the  Boulevard  des  Italiens,  in 
front  of  the  Cafe  de  la  Paix,  on  a  pleasant  afternoon.  All  Paris  seems 
to  have  come  here  for  amusement ;  and  an  American  whom  we  met  here, 
and  who  has  lived  in  Paris  for  several  years,  has  pointed  out  to  us  a  good 
many  of  the  people  whose  names  are  more  or  less  familiar  to  us.  There 
are  statesmen,  politicians,  editors,  authors,  artists,  actresses,  men  and 
women  with  titles — some  with  ancestry  running  back  for  centuries,  and 
others  whose  nobilitv  is  verv  recent  —  merchants,  bankers,  and  so  on 


A  MIXED   POPULATION. 


oi 


through  a  long  list.  Then  there  are  people  from  all  parts  of  France  and 
from  other  countries  of  Europe.  As  I  said  at  the  beginning,  there  are 
many  English  who  spend  the  summer  here,  and  we  are  never  many  min- 
utes without  hearing  the  language  of  the  kingdom  across  the  Channel." 


SUNDAY   MOUSING    IN   KORMANDl'. 


5S 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


CHAPTER   IV. 


THE  CHILDREN'S  BALL  AT  THE  CASINO  OF  TROUVILLE.— ADVANTAGES  OF  EARLY 
TRAINING  IN  POLITENESS.— GAMING  AT  THE  CASINO.— CO URRIERS  AND  LES 

PETITS  C  HE  I'AU.Y.— SCENES  IN  THE  GAMING-ROOMS.— DEAUYILLE  ;  ITS  ORI- 
GIN AND  HISTORY.— DUKE  DE  MORN Y.—  TROUVILLE  RACES.— VIEWS  OF  THE 
RACING-GROUNDS  AND  INCIDENTS  OF  THE  RACES.— COSTUMES  OF  THE  BELLES 
—ENGLISH  VISITORS  AND  THEIR  WAGERS.— POOL-SELLING— VISIT  TO  THE  CAS- 
TLE OF  BONNEVILLE— REMINISCENCES  OF  WILLIAM  THE  CONQUEROR.— HOW 
HE  INVADED  ENGLAND.— BATTLE  OF  HASTINGS  AND  DEATH  OF  HAROLD.— 
DIVES  AND  CAEN.— A  NORMAN  FUNERAL.— ROUEN.— THE  CATHEDRAL.— MRS. 
BASSETT'S  MISTAKE.— RICHARD  THE  LION-HEARTED.— MUSEUM  OF  ANTIQUI- 
TIES AND  WHAT  WAS  SEEN  THERE. 


T 


ROUVILLE  does  not  go  to  bed  early,"  continued  Fred,  "as  3rou 
would  readily  understand  by  visiting  the  Casino.  It  is  a  spa- 
cious building,  and 
Trouville  without 
the  Casino  would 
be  like  "  Hamlet " 
without  Hamlet. 

"  One  of  the 
most  interesting 
sights  of  the  Ca- 
sino is  the  Bal 
fV Enfant*  (Chil- 
dren's Ball),  which 
takes  place  be- 
tween eight  and 
nine  o'clock  every 
evening.  Some  of 
the  children  are 
dressed  in  all  the  finery  their  mothers  can  place  upon  them,  while  others 
are  in  the  flannel  suits  they  have  worn  all  day,  and  which  they  cannot 
injure  at  all  by  rolling  in  the  sand  or  getting  an  occasional  wetting. 
But  whether  plainly  or  gayly  dressed,  they  conduct   themselves  with 


T1IK    WINDLASS. 


GAMBLING  AT   TROUVILLE.  59 

much  more  propriety  than  would  the  same  number  of  American  chil- 
dren under  similar  circumstances.  The  rules  of  the  ball-room  are 
carefulty  observed,  and  the  boys  bow  to  the  girls  and  the  girls  to  the 
boys  as  though  they  were  members  of  the  court  of  a  kingly  palace. 
Doctor  Bronson  says  that  a  great  deal  of  the  French  polish  of  manner 
comes  from  the  early  training  thej  receive,  and  one  can  realize  this  very 
forcibly  as  he  looks  on  at  the  Bal  iTEnfants  at  Trouville." 

Mrs.  Bassett  was  delighted  with  the  Children's  Ball,  and  thought  it 
would  be  an  excellent  feature  of  American  watering-places.  But  her 
opinion  was  quite  the  reverse  as  to  the  scenes  in  the  Salle  de  Petit  Jeux, 
where  chances  were  sold  on  the  races  which  are  run  by  miniature  horses 
and  miniature  couriers.  She  observed,  with  considerable  shock  to  her 
sense  of  propriety,  that  the  attendance  was  large,  and  also  that  the  sport 
was  very  exciting  to  all  concerned. 

The  game  of  courriers  and  petits  chevaux  may  be  thus  described : 

Little  figures  representing  runners,  and  mounted  on  wheels  which 
follow  channels  or  grooves  especially  made  for  them,  are  set  in  motion 
along  a  large  table,  and  the  figure,  or  courrier,  that  comes  nearest  to  a 
goal  near  the  farther  end  of  the  table  wins  the  sum  total  of  the  bets, 
after  deducting  a  certain  amount  for  the  keeper  of  the  game.  Of  course 
every  one  must  make  a  wager,  and  the  money  is  handed  over  to  the 
keeper  before  the  courriers  are  set  in  motion.  All  sorts  and  conditions 
of  men  and  women  indulge  in  the  game,  and  a  considerable  amount  of 
money  changes  hands  every  evening. 

The  course  des petits  chevaux  is  more  exciting,  and  consequently  more 
popular  than  the  one  just  described,  and  the  crowd  at  the  end  of  the 
room  devoted  to  it  is  much  larger  and  far  more  noisy  than  the  one 
around  the  table  of  the  courriers.  We  will  let  Frank  describe  the  table 
and  the  scene. 

"The  table  is  circular,''  wrote  Frank,  "and  is  covered  with  concen- 
tric circles  of  strips  of  brass  or  other  material  two  or  three  inches  apart. 
On  each  of  these  strips  a  miniature  horse  runs  with  a  jockey  upon  his 
back.  The  coats  of  the  jockeys  are  in  different  colors,  so  as  to  facilitate 
the  process  of  betting.  It  is  a  circular  race-track  in  miniature.  Before 
each  race  the  horses  are  placed  in  line  in  front  of  the  starting-point,  and 
when  all  is  ready  a  lever  is  pulled  to  set  them  in  motion. 

"  There  are  rows  of  raised  benches  where  the  players  sit,  and  there 
is  standing-room  behind  them  for  spectators,  who  very  often  become 
players  and  pass  their  money  over  the  heads  of  the  more  fortunate  ones 
in  front.     The  keepers  of  the  game  sell  chances  for  one  or  two  francs 


60        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

each  on  the  horses,  and  the  management  always  reserves  one  horse  for 
itself.  When  all  is  ready,  the,  lever  is  pulled  and  the  horses  are  started ; 
round  and  round  they  go  at  high  speed,  then  the  speed  slackens,  one 
horse  stops,  then  another  and  another  until  all  have  come  to  a  halt.  The 
horse  that  stops  nearest  the  goal  wins  the  race,  and  as  soon  as  the  result 


TAIll.K    OK    THE       COURRIKRS. 


is  decided  the  money  is  distributed.  The  majority  of  the  people  present 
are  more  or  less  excited,  and  there  is  a  great  deal  of  shouting  and  ges- 
ticulating. The  most  exciting  time  of  the  race  is  when  the  speed  of  the 
horses  slackens  and  a  decision  of  the  momentous  question  is  close  at 
hand.  There  are  quite  as  many  women  as  men  in  the  crowd,  and  not 
a  few  of  the  women  are  accompanied  by  children,  who  are  allowed  to 
"waerer  their  monev  on  the  game. 


DEAUVILLE   AND   DUKE  DE  MORNY.  61 

"  There  are  races  of  real  horses  at  Trouville  on  certain  days  of  the 
season,  and  they  attract  great  numbers  of  people.  To  reach  the  race- 
track it  is  necessary  to  go  to  Deauville,  which  may  be  regarded  as  an 
extension  of  Trouville  along  the  sea-shore.  Deauville  was  the  result  of 
a  speculation  which  was  started  by  the  Duke  de  Morny  when  at  the 
height  of  his  power,  and  he  had  no  difficulty  in  securing  the  capital 
needed  for  his  enterprise.  His  idea  was  to  create  an  aristocratic  resort, 
where  those  who  wished  to  pass  the  hot  months  at  the  sea-side  could 
avoid  the  contagion  of  the  crowd  at  Trouville,  and  at  the  same  time 
have  suitable  society  around  them.  Handsome  houses  were  built  in 
goodly  number,  streets  and  avenues  were  laid  out,  and  for  a  while  Deau- 
ville prospered.  But  the  death  of  the  duke  in  1865,  and  the  fall  of  the 
empire  a  few  years  later,  brought  grief  to  the  new  city,  and  since  then 
it  has  had  a  struggle  for  existence. 

"  We  saw  the  pedestal  on  which  once  stood  the  statue  of  the  duke. 
The  pedestal  with  nothing  upon  it  is  a  symbol  of  the  changes  of  the 
times :  the  republic  caused  the  statue  to  be  removed,  and  if  it  has  not 
been  destroyed  it  is  stored  away  somewhere  to  await  the  possible  day 
when  the  Napoleonic  dynasty  shall  again  take  part  in  the  affairs  of  the 
nation." 

"What  did  the  Duke  de  Morny  have  to  do  with  the  Napoleons?" 
Mrs.  Bassett  asked,  when  Frank  made  the  above  remark. 

"  He  was  the  half-brother  of  Louis  Napoleon,  the  last  emperor  of 
France,"  Frank  replied ;  "  and  while  Napoleon  III.  occupied  the  throne 
the  duke  was  in  high  favor.  Consecpiently,  it  was  easy  for  him  to  found 
a  town  like  this  in  the  prosperous  times  of  the  empire." 

"I  understand  now,"  said  Mrs.  Bassett,  "and  I  can  understand  how 
the  fall  of  the  empire  was  pretty  certain  to  ruin  the  speculation  by 
ruining  the  speculators." 

When  they  reached  the  race-ground  Mrs.  Bassett  was  surprised  to 
find  that  there  was  no  track  at  all,  and  she  did  not  understand  the  situa- 
tion until  Frank  explained  that  the  running  was  done  on  the  turf,  which 
many  horsemen  prefer  to  a  dirt  road.  The  racing-ground  is  a  level  area, 
and  at  one  side  there  is  a  fine  grove  of  trees,  where  the  j>esa(Je  or  weigh- 
ing-stand is  placed.  The  pesage  contains  several  handsome  buildings, 
and  evidently  the  men  who  designed  the  racing-ground  were  not  lacking 
in  good  taste  nor  in  the  money  necessary  to  carry  out  their  designs. 

Frank  secured  places  for  his  party  in  the  grand-stand,  which  is  so 
situated  that  the  occupants  have  the  sun  at  their  backs  in  the  afternoon, 
the  time  when  all  the  l'aces  come  off.     The  stand  is  on  a  small  elevation 


62        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

of  ground,  so  that  the  whole  sweep  of  the  plain  is  in  full  view,  together 
with  the  cliffs  beyond  it  and  a  church,  which  presents  a  line  outline 
against  the  sky. 

Our  friends  were  on  the  ground 
early,  as  they  wished  to  study  the 
crowds  of  visitors  much  more  than 
to  see  the  horses  run.  They  had 
an  abundant  opportu- 
nity, as  the  assemblage 
seemed  to  include 


AT    THE    RACES    OF    TROUVILLE. 


COSTUMES  AND  POOLS.  63 

everybody  in  Trouville  and  all  the  country  around  for  a  considerable 
distance.  Mrs.  Bassett  remarked  that  it  was  a  happy,  well-behaved 
crowd,  and  everybody  seemed  to  have  a  regard  for  the  rights  of  others 
while  enjoying  himself  thoroughly. 

Mary  had  a  sharp  eye  for  feminine  costume,  and  she  made  note  of 
some  that  were  certainly  quite  eccentric,  both  in  the  material  employed 
and  the  manner  in  which  it  was  cut  and  made.  Some  dresses  had  an 
astonishing  amount  of  embroidery  upon  them,  and  some  were  in  glaring- 
colors.  One  dress  which  she  specially  noted  had  a  series  of  rainbows, 
which  ran  downward  diagonally  from  the  right  shoulder  of  the  wearer, 
and  suggested  at  a  little  distance  a  barber's  pole  endowed  with  anima- 
tion and  locomotion.  Another  was  embroidered  all  over  with  figures  of 
animals  of  various  kinds,  and  Mrs.  Bassett  suggested  that  the  woman 
who  wore  it  might  be  the  perambulating  advertisement  of  a  menagerie. 

Everybody  seemed  to  bet  on  the  races,  and  the  women  were  just  as 
active  as  the  men  in  placing  their  money  on  the  different  horses  and  in 
demonstrating  their  knowledge  of  the  animals  on  the  list.  Many  of 
them  showed  that  they  knew  of  what  they  were  talking,  and  when  their 
favorites  were  defeated  tkey  vented  their  anger  quite  as  energetically 
as  did  the  sterner  sex,  and  became  just  as  excited  over  the  events  of 
the  races,  especially  when  not  on  the  winning  side. 

Some  English  people  who  were  seated  near  our  friends  wagered  their 
money  after  the  general  custom ;  at  the  end  of  each  race  the}'  speedily 
disappeared  from  their  places  to  "  go  to  the  pools,'*  as  they  expressed  it. 
Mrs.  Bassett  wondered  where  these  bodies  of  water  were,  and  she  asked 
Frank  if  there  were  boat-races  on  the  pools  between  the  equine  trials  of 
speed,  or  if  they  only  went  there  to  quench  their  thirst. 

Frank  explained  that  the  name  was  applied  to  a  system  of  betting 
or  wagering  money  on  the  races,  and  that  the  temporary  absence  of 
their  English  neighbors  was  in  order  to  collect  their  winnings,  if  any, 
and  to  make  wagers  on  the  next  race  to  follow. 

"  The  pools  are  what  they  call  the  Paris-mutuals.  are  they  not  ?" 
Mary  asked.  "I  suppose  they  were  invented  in  Paris;  at  any  rate, that 
is  what  the  name  indicates." 

"  That  is  what  a  great  many  people  in  America  believe,"  said  Frank, 
"  but  the  name  is,  in  a  certain  sense,  misleading.  It  is  true  that  the 
system  was  imported  into  America  from  Paris,  but  the  real  name  of  it 
is  paris-mutuels  (mutual  bets).  The  French  word  jxiri  means  a  bet  or 
wager;  mutuel  and  mutual  have  the  same  meaning  in  the  languages  to 
which  they  respectively  belong." 


6-4 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


COSTCMKS    OF    THE    NATIVES. 


At  each  of  the  races  there  was  a  shout  as  the  horses  started,  and  a 
great  deal  of  excitement  all  through  to  the  finish.  Those  who  had 
money  wagered  upon  the  result  were  in  a  quiver  of  anxiety,  the  demon- 
stration of  it  being  in  proportion  to  the  amount  depending  upon  the 
race.  Our  friends  were  probably  the  least  excited  individuals  in  all  the 
assemblage,  and  Mrs.  Bassett  said  it  was  because  they  were  probably  the 
only  visitors  who  had  not  bathed  in  the  pools.  A  gentleman  in  front 
of  them  had  placed  several  napoleons  on  the  horse  Moufflon,  and  as  the 


A  NORMANDY  LANDSCAPE. 


65 


race  ended  Moufflon  appeared  to  be  at  the  head  of  the  group.  The  man 
danced  about  with  joy;  but  his  joy  was  changed  to  sorrow  when  the 
signal  from  the  judges'  stand  showed  that  the  race  was  "  off,"  and  must 
be  run  over  again.  When  the  second  run  was  made  Moufflon  was  left 
behind,  and  the  unhappy  Frenchman  had  to  bite  his  lip  to  prevent  its 
revealing  his  grief  by  drooping  to  his  chin. 

The  day  after  the  races  the  party  took  a  drive  into  the  interior  to 
visit  several  points  and  places  of  interest.  The  roads  are  delightful,  and 
at  every  step  presented  the  attractions  of  Normandy-  in  the  shape  of 
venerated  churches,  thatched  cottages,  old  chateaux — some  in  ruins  and 
others  carefully  kept  and  cared  for — well-tilled  fields,  luxuriant  pastures, 
patches  and  stretches  of  forest,  sleek  cattle  and  horses,  and  everywhere 
the  peasants  in  the  costume  which  has  been  unchanged  for  a  very  long 
time  and  shows  no  sign  of  changing. 

The  place  of  greatest  historical  interest  visited  on  this  excursion  was 


READY    FOR    THE    RACE. 


66         THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

the  Chateau  of  Bonneville.  Learning  the  evening  before  that  they  were 
to  see  it,  Mary  took  pains  to  acquaint  herself  with  its  history;  conse- 
quently, when  Frank  asked  her  about  it,  she  Avas  ready  with  her  answer. 

"  It  was  the  castle  of  Duke  Robert  of  Normandy,  the  father  of 
William  the  Conqueror,"  said  Mary,  "  and  therefore  must  be  at  least  a 
thousand  years  old." 

"  It  certainly  looks  it,"  said  Mrs.  Bassett,  as  she  regarded  the  ivy- 
grown  walls  where  the  history  of  England  under  the  rule  of  the  Xor- 
mans  may  be  said  to  have  begun. 

"  William  the  Conqueror  was  born  in  the  year  1025,"  continued 
Mary,  "  and  succeeded  his  father  in  1035.  The  historians  say  that  he 
gained  the  favor  of  his  kinsman,  Edward  the  Confessor,  King  of  Eng- 
land, and  as  Edward  had  no  children,  he  secretly  agreed  to  make  Will- 
iam his  heir.  The  people  of  England  preferred  Harold,  a  Saxon  prince, 
and  on  the  death  of  Edward,  in  1066,  Harold  ascended  the  throne  with- 
out opposition  on  the  part  of  anybody." 

"  A  very  good  account  of  the  situation  as  it  existed  before  the  in- 
vasion," said  Frank.  "  And  now  tell  us  what  William  did  when  he 
heard  Harold  was  on  the  throne." 

"  William  was  angry,  as  he  had  not  only  the  promise  of  Edward 
that  he  should  succeed  him,  but  it  seems  that  Harold  had  visited  Will- 
iam not  long  before,  and  promised  not  to  stand  in  his  way,  and  even  to 
help  him  to  what  he  wanted.  When  he  was  afterwards  reminded  of 
his  promise,  he  said  it  was  forced  from  him  when  he  was  in  William's 
power,  and  he  did  not  therefore  regard  it  as  binding." 

'•  I  think  he  was  right,"  said  Mrs.  Bassett.  "  But  he  was  a  simpleton 
to  venture  into  William's  dominions,  and  so  place  himself  where  he 
would  be  forced  to  swear  to  such  a  promise  or  lose  his  liberty  and  life." 

"  So  I  thought,"  Mary  responded,  "and  probably  Harold  thought  so 
when  it  was  too  late." 

"William  determined  to  have  his  way,"  she  continued.  "  He  assem- 
bled a  fleet  of  three  thousand  vessels,  and  an  army  of  sixty  thousand 
men  at  Dives.  Are  we  going  to  Dives  \  I  want  to  see  the  place  where 
the  army  assembled  for  the  invasion  of  England." 

"  Yes,"  replied  Frank,  '*  we  are  going  there,  but  you  will  not  find  a 
great  deal  to  interest  you.  The  harbor  has  been  filled  up  by  the  drift- 
ing sand,  and  the  business  of  the  place  from  a  marine  point  of  view  has 
been  transferred  to  Cobourg  close  by." 

We  may  remark  that  our  friends  found  Dives  a  curious  old  town, 
with  a  hotel  bearing  the  high-sounding  name  of  Wilham  the  Conqueror, 


THE  CONQUEST  OF  ENGLAND. 


67 


and  an  old  church  in  which  are  inscribed  the  names  of  the  JSTorman 
barons  and  other  noblemen  of  distinction,  who  accompanied  William 
on  his  voyage  to  England.  There  is  a  monument  near  the  town  to  com- 
memorate the  invasion,  but  it  is  of  modern  construction,  and  therefore 
has  no  great  interest  to  the  student  of  history. 

"  The  voyage  of  William  the  Conqueror  across  the  Channel;'  con- 


SHIPS    OF   THE    TIME    OP   WILLIAM    THE    CONQUEROR. 

tinned  Mary,  "  was  by  no  means  a  pleasant  one.  When  he  set  out  from 
Dives  a  storm  arose,  and  he  was  forced  to  put  into  Saint- Yalery,  which 
he  reached  with  a  part  of  his  fleet.  Many  of  his  ships  were  wrecked, 
and  the  coast  is  said  to  have  been  strewn  with  drowned  men.  Some  of 
the  soldiers  became  discouraged,  but  William  managed  to  keep  his  army 
from  breaking  up,  and  set  sail  once  more.  His  second  attempt  was  suc- 
cessful ;  he  landed  on  the  coast  of  Sussex,  defeated  the  English  at  Hast- 
ings, killed  his  rival,  Harold,  and  on  Christmas  Day  of  the  same  year  he 
was  crowned  King  of  England." 

"Thank  you  very  much.''  said  Mrs.  Bassett,  as  Mary  paused  at  the 
end  of  her  story.     "  I  don't  believe  there  are  many  American  girls  in 


6$  THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

school  or  out  of  it  who  can  tell  as  much  about  the  Norman  conquest  of 
England,"  she  added,  with  a  glance  of  pride  at  her  daughter. 

•■  I  couldn't  have  told  as  much  two  days  ago,"  Mary  answered,  "and 
it  was  only  the  circumstance  that  we  were  to  visit  the  Chateau  of 
Bonneville  that  made  me  look  it  up.  The  most  interesting  way  to 
study  history  is  at  the  scene  of  the  events  that  it  records." 

No  one  is  likely  to  dispute  the  correctness  of  this  assertion,  nor  did 
any  one  of  the  party  do  so  on  that  occasion.  Mary  added  that  if  any 
one  wished  to  read  about  the  effect  of  the  Norman  conquest  upon  Eng- 
land and  what  happened  afterwards,  she  would  advise  a  perusal  of  Th> 
Boy  Travellers  in  Great  Britain  anil  Ireland. 

From  Trouville  our  friends  went  in  the  direction  of  Paris.  At  first 
it  was  proposed  to  ascend  the  Seine  by  steamboat,  so  as  to  study  the 
scenery  of  the  river;  but  it  was  ascertained  on  investigation  that  the 
journey  was  likely  to  be  tedious,  owing  to  the  sameness  of  the  sights  on 
the  banks  of  the  Seine,  and  the  long  time  required  for  the  journey. 

Mrs.  Bassett  heard  that  "William  the  Conqueror  was  buried  at  Caen. 
about  twenty-five  miles  from  Trouville,  and  she  suggested  that  it  might 
be  worth  their  while  to  visit  the  place  of  his  sepulture.  Frank  ex- 
plained to  her  that  the  grave  of  the  famous  warrior  was  indeed  at  Caen, 
but  it  had  long  been  empty. 

'■  Three  hundred  and  odd  years  ago,"  said  Frank.  "  the  Huguenots 
destroyed  the  monument  that  had  been  erected  by  William  Rufus,  and 
then  tore  open  the  grave  and  scattered  the  bones.  Onl}T  one  of  them 
was  recovered;  it  was  restored  to  the  grave,  where  it  lay  two  hundred 
and  fiftv  years,  when  the  tomb  was  again  violated  bv  the  Revolutionists 
of  1703,  and  the  last  relic  disappeared." 

So  it  was  concluded  not  to  visit  Caen  and  its  ancient  churches,  but 
to  take  the  train  for  Rouen  from  the  station  at  Trouville. 

A  final  drive  before  saving  farewell  to  the  coast  was  taken  alonw 
the  Villersville  road  and  back  into  the  country.  While  our  friends 
were  passing  a  church  they  saw  a  funeral  procession  coming  out  of  it. 
and  moving  in  the  direction  of  the  cemetery.  Frank  ordered  the  driver 
to  halt  the  carriage,  in  order  that  they  might  witness  the  ceremony  of 
interment  as  performed  in  Normandy. 

The  Norman  peasants  are  Catholics,  and  the  service  witnessed  by 
the  party  was  that  of  the  Catholic  Church.  The  sobbing  of  the 
mourners  was  so  loud  that  it  almost  drowned  the  voice  of  the  priest  as 
he  read  from  the  open  book  before  him  the  ritual  for  the  burial  of  the 
dead.     Candles  and  tapers  were  carried  in  accordance  with  long  estab- 


A    FISHERMAN    OF    COBOUEG. 


TO        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

lished  custom;  and  the  sexton  stood  near  b}r  leaning  on  his  spade,  and 
waiting  for  the  departure  of  the  little  cortege  to  allow  him  to  complete 
his  work  by  filling  the  grave  he  had  made. 

The  railway  train  whirled  them  rapidly  to  Rouen,  and  came  to  a 
halt  in  the  underground  station  with  which  many  travellers  are  familiar. 
The  line  of  the  railway  near  Rouen  and  in  the  city  is  a  work  of  great 
engineering  skill.  Rouen  is  on  and  among  hills,  and  the  railway  line  is 
tunnelled  for  a  considerable  distance  through  these  hills.  The  station 
lies  between  two  tunnels,  and  in  a  deep  cutting  which  was  made  at  no 
small  expense.  The  railway  is  one  of  the  oldest  in  France,  having  been 
completed  in  1843;  it  was  built  b}T  a  combination  of  French  and  English 
capitalists,  and  the  engineers  and  many  of  the  workmen  were  English. 

••  I'm  ever  so  glad  you  arranged  to  stop  at  Rouen,"  said  Mrs.  Bassett 
just  before  they  reached  the  station.  "  I  wanted  very  much  to  see  the 
city,  but  was  afraid  we  might  miss  it." 

"  And  why  should  we  miss  it  V  queried  Frank.  "  It  lies  directly  on 
the  route  between  Havre  and  Paris,  is  a  convenient  stopping-place,  and 
is  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  interesting  cities  of  France.  It  has  been 
prominent  in  history  for  many  centuries,  and  is  certainly  one  of  the  last 
places  in  the  world  to  be  neglected.  Besides  being  an  old  city,  it  is  an 
active  and  well-populated  one.  Xearly  all  the  old  cities  of  the  world 
have  seen  their  best  days,  and  are  now  in  a  state  of  decline ;  but  no  one 
can  sa.j  this  of  Rouen.  It  is  a  great  seat  of  manufactures ;  in  fact,  it  is 
the  leading  place  of  France  in  the  cotton  industry,  and  has  been  called 
1  The  Manchester  of  the  Republic'  It  is  the  head  of  navigation  for 
sailing-vessels  on  the  Seine,  and  you  will  see  a  great  number  of  ships 
at  the  quays. 

"  The  Romans  had  a  city  and  fort  here,"  continued  Frank.  "  and  they 
called  it  Rotomagus.  Traces  of  the  Roman  occupation  may  still  be  seen, 
and  are  interesting  to  antiquarians,  but  to  the  ordinary  traveller  they 
are  of  less  consequence  than  the  churches  and  the  monument  that  marks 
the  spot  where  Joan  of  Arc  was  burned  to  death." 

"  Shall  we  go  there  before  we  see  anything  else  ?"  Mrs.  Bassett  asked. 

'•"We  will  include  it  in  our  round  of  sight-seeing,"  was*  the  reply: 
v'  and  when  we  get  to  the  Place  de  la  Pucelle,  where  the  monument 
stands,  Mary  will  tell  us  something  about  the  girl  whose  name  is  famous 
in  the  history  of  France. 

"  The  traveller's  steps  are  usually  turned  first  in  the  direction  of  the 
cathedral,"  continued  Frank,  "  and  it  is  well  worth  seeing,  as  it  is  one 
of  the  finest  in  all  Europe,  though  not  the  largest.     Rouen  is  justly 


THE  BUTTER  TOWER  AT  ROUEN. 


71 


proud  of  it,  partly  on  account  of  its  grandeur  and  age,  and  partly  in 
consequence  of  the  many  historical  associations  connected  with  it." 

Mrs.  Bassett  fell  into  a  singular  mistake  concerning  one  of  the  tow- 
ers of  the  cathedral,  which  the  driver  pointed  out  as  they  approached 
it,  and  said  it  was  La  Tour  de  Beurre,  or  Butter  Tower.  She  looked 
intently  at  the  tower  in  question,  and  said  it  appeared  to  her  to  be  made 
of  stone  and  not  of  butter.  She  insisted  that  butter  is  not  a  good  mate- 
rial for  the  construction  of  towers  on  account  of  its  tendency  to  soften 
in  warm  weather,  of  which  there  must  certainly  be  some  in  Rouen. 

Frank  explained  that  the  name  did  not  come  from  the  material  used 
in  the  construction  of  the  tower,  but  from  the  fact  that  it  was  built  with 
the  money  obtained  from  the  sale  of  indulgences  to  eat  butter  during 
Lent.  The  tower  was  begun  in  a.d.  14S5  and  completed  in  1507,  and 
has  been  restored  quite  recently. 

Mrs.  Bassett  asked  how  old  the  cathedral  was.  Frank  answered  that 
the  date  of  the  earliest  structure  erected  on  the  spot  was  uncertain,  but 
the  present  edifice  was  begun  in  the  twelfth  century.  The  work  was 
not  completed  for  three  hundred  years  from  the  time  of  its  commence- 
ment, and  some  parts  of  the  interior  belong  to  the  present  century.  The 
central  spire  is  of  iron  and  quite  modern,  as  it  replaces  a  wooden  one 


THE    CASTLE    OF    ROUEN    IN    THE    FIFTEENTH    CENTURT. 


72 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


that  was  destroyed  by  lightning  in  1822.    The  top  of  it  is  485  feet  from 
the  ground,  and  the  spire  forms  a  conspicuous  mark  for  miles  around. 

The  party  spent  an  hour  or  more  in  the  cathedral,  examining  the 
monuments  and  ornamentation,  and  lamenting  the  havoc  wrought  in 

the  building  by  the  Huguenots  in  1562  and 
by  the  Revolutionists  in  1793.  .Mrs.  Bassetl 
paused  at  the  marble  tablets  in  the  pavement 
of  the  choir  which  mark  the  spots  where  the 
heart  of  Richard  Coeur  de  Lion  (Richard  the 
Lion-hearted)  and  the  body  of  his  brother  Hen- 
ry were  buried.  The  monument  to  Richard's 
memory,  like  most  of  the  other  monuments 
in  the  cathedral,  was  mutilated  by  the  Hugue- 
nots and  afterwards  removed.  No  trace  of 
them  was  found  until  nearly  three  hundred 
years  later.  The  heart  of  Richard  was  found 
quite  perfect  in  shape  but  shrunk  in  size,  and 
it  is  now  in  the  Museum  of  Antiquities  at 
Rouen.  It  was  enveloped  in  a  piece  of  green- 
ish cloth  and  enclosed  in  a  case  of  lead. 

"  How  did  he  get  the  name  of  '  The  Lion- 
hearted  V  "  queried  Mrs.  Bassett. 

"  From  his  bravery  in  battle  and  his  readi- 
ness to  engage  in  war  whenever  the  occasion 


offered,"  Frank    replied, 
of  England  in  11S9 


He  was   crowned 
King  of  England  in  11S9  ;  but  from  that  time 
until  his  death,  ten  years  later,  the  most  of  his 
time  was  passed  in  France  and  in  a  crusade  to 
the  Holy  Land.     He  commanded  the  English 
half  of  the  army  of  100,000  men  in  the  third 
crusade,  the  other  half  being  French.    He  was 
absent  about  four  years  on  this  crusade,  and 
after  his  return  he  was  almost  constantly  en- 
gaged in  wars  upon  French  soil.     He  died  in 
1109  from  the  effects  of  a  wound  received  in  a  siege  of  the  Castle  of 
Chains  near  Limoges.     His  wife  was  never  in  Great  Britain,  and  he  left 
no  legitimate  children  to  succeed  him  on  the  throne  of  England." 

Our  friends  visited  several  other  churches  on  their  way  to  the  mu- 
seum, which  was  founded  in  1S33  and  occupies  a  building  which  was 
once  a  convent.     It  contains  many  objects  of  interest,  including  Roman 


EFFIGY    OF   RICHARD    THE    LION- 
HEARTED. 


74         THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

relics  that  have  been  exhumed  in  Rouen  and  its  vicinity.  There  are 
fifteen  windows  in  the  principal  gallery,  all  made  of  painted  glass  from 
suppressed  convents  and  churches,  and  forming  a  chronological  series 
from  the  thirteenth  to  the  seventeenth  century,  of  great  interest  to  the 
student  and  by  no  means  devoid  of  it  for  the  ordinary  traveller.  It  is 
said  that  there  is  no  collection  of  glass  painting  equal  to  this  in  France, 
England,  or  anywhere  else  in  Europe. 

The  eyes  of  Mrs.  Bassett  and  Mary  were  specially  attracted  to  the 
glazed  frames  on  the  walls,  which  enclosed  charters  and  other  official 
documents  bearing  the  autographs  of  celebrated  personages.  Mrs.  Bas- 
sett's  astonishment  was  great  when  she  saw  a  charter  granted  by  Will- 
iam the  Conqueror  and  signed  with  a  cross,  and  learned  that  the  great 
invader  of  England  was  unable  to  write !  Then  there  were  documents 
with  the  signatures  of  Richard  the  Lion-hearted,  Henry  I.,  and  other 
rulers,  and  in  a  glass  case  lay  the  royal  heart  which  has  already  been 
mentioned  in  connection  with  the  cathedral. 

The  sun  was  setting  when  the  party  came  out  of  the  museum,  and 
it  was  decided  to  postpone  further  sight-seeing  until  the  following  day. 
In  the  evening  Mary  refreshed  her  memory  concerning  the  Maid  of  Or- 
leans, and  prepared  to  tell  the  story  which  Frank  had  assigned  to  her 
concerning  that  famous  and  remarkable  girl  whose  life  had  an  impor- 
tant bearing  upon  the  France  of  five  centuries  ago. 

Fred  recorded  in  his  note-book  that  among  the  curiosities  in  the  mu- 
seum was  the  door  of  the  house  in  which  Corneille,  the  great  dramatist, 
was  born.  The  French  regard  Corneille  as  the  founder  of  the  French 
drama  and  the  writer  who  has  done  more  than  any  other  to  make  the 
French  stage  what  it  is  to-da}T.  He  was  a  native  of  Rouen,  where  he 
was  born  in  1S06,  and  spent  the  earlier  part  of  his  life  there.  He  studied 
law  and  practised  it  for  a  few  years,  but  did  not  succeed,  and  his  failure 
in  the  law  led  him  to  literature.  One  biographer  says  that  the  French 
call  him  "the  grand  Corneille,"  not  only  to  distinguish  him  from  his  broth- 
er Thomas,  who  was  also  a  dramatist,  but  from  the  rest  of  mankind. 

Mary  wished  to  see  the  Castle  of  Rouen,  but  found  on  investigation 
that  there  was  very  little  remaining  of  the  old  fortress  where  Joan  of 
Arc  and  other  celebrated  personages  were  kept  in  captivity  and  in  many 
cases  were  subjected  to  torture.  There  is  not  enough  of  the  castle  re- 
maining to  repay  a  visit.  The  walls  of  Rouen  that  resisted  Henry  Y. 
of  England  and  Henri  IY.  of  France  have  been  removed,  and  the  ground 
they  occupied  has  been  laid  out  into  a  boulevard,  which  extends  around 
the  city  in  a  semicircle  and  rests  on  the  Seine  at  its  ends. 


THE  MAID  OF   ORLEANS. 


75 


CHAPTER   V. 


SOMETHING  ABOUT  JOAX  OF  ARC;  HER  BIRTHPLACE  AND  EARLY  LIFE;  THE 
SUPERNATURAL  VOICES;  HER  VISIT  TO  THE  GOVERNOR;  PRESENTATION  TO 
THE  KING;  SHE  LEADS  THE  ARMY  TO  BATTLE;  DEFEATS  THE  ENGLISH;  HER 
WONDERFUL  MILITARY  CAREER;  PERSONAL  INFLUENCE  WITH  COURT  AND 
ARMY;  CAPTURE,  TRIAL  FOR  SORCERY,  CONDEMNATION,  AND  DEATH;  THE 
PLACE  WHERE  SHE  WAS  BURNED.— FROM  ROUEN"  TO  PARIS.— CHATEAU  GAIL- 
LARD  AND  ITS  HISTORY.— HENRY  OF  NAVARRE.— ARRIVAL  AT  PARIS.— REM- 
INISCENCE OF  THE  DOCTOR.— FRANK'S  OBSERVATIONS  ON  THEIR  FIRST  DAY  IN 
PARIS.— THE  STREETS  AND  CAFES.— CAFE  TORTONL— CHAMPS-ELYSEES,  BOIS  DE 
BOULOGNE,  AND  CHURCH  OF  NOTRE  DAME. 

IN  the  morning  the  party  proceeded  to  the 
Place  de  la  Pucelle,  to  see  the  spot  where  the 
Maid  of  Orleans  was  burned  to  death,  after 
being  convicted  of  sorcery. 

Mary  was  ready  with  her  story  of  the  life 
of  the  woman  who  is  generally  known  as  Joan 
of  Arc  to  English-speaking  people,  while  by  the 
French  she  is  called  Jeanne  Dare. 

"  The  French  name  is  more  nearly  correct 
than  the  English  one,"  said  Mary.  "  She  was 
the  daughter  of  Jacques  Dare,  or  D'Arc,  of  the 
village  of  Domremy,  in  Lorraine ;  on  her  trial 
she  said  that  her  name  was  Jehannette,  or  Jean- 
nette,  and  that  in  her  part  of  the  country  girls 
bore  the  surname  of  their  mothers.  Her  moth- 
er's maiden  name  was  Rommee,  and  consequent- 
ly her  real  name,  according  to  the  Lorraine  cus- 
tom, would  have  been  Jehannette  Eoramee.  She 
could  not  read  or  write ;  her  father  was  a  farm- 
laborer,  and  all  the  education  she  ever  received 
was  such  as  was  given  by  her  mother  and  by  the 

priests  to  children  of  her  time,  in  the  repetition  of  prayers,  and  the 
lessons  of  the  Church.     She  is  said  to  have  been  very  religious,  and 


CREDENCE  OF  JEANNE  DARC  S 
TIME. 


76         THE  BUY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

when  the  sexton  forgot  to  ring  the  bell  for  prayers  she  reminded  him 
of  his  duty,  and  sometimes  bribed  him  to  its  performance  by  small 
gifts  of  money  or  other  tilings." 

"  You  haven't  told  us  when  she  was  horn,"  Mrs.  Bassett  remarked, 
as  Mary  paused  for  a  moment  in  her  recital. 

"The  date  of  her  birth  is  not  exactly  known,"  Mary  replied,  "  but  it 
was  probably  some  time  in  the  year  1411.  She  lived  the  ordinary  life 
of  a  peasant  girl,  working  in  the  house  and  out-of-doors,  going  regularly 
and  punctually  to  church,  and  devoting  (so  the  histories  say)  a  great 
deal  of  her  spare  time  to  meditating  upon  religion  and  on  the  state  of 
the  country,  which  was  principally  under  the  rule  of  the  English.  King 
Henry  V.  had  won  the  battle  of  Agincourt;  Paris  was  in  the  hands 
of  the  English,  and  so  was  more  than  half  of  the  kingdom.  The  people 
of  her  neighborhood  were  attached  to  the  cause  of  the  defeated  King, 
and  sympathized  with  him  in  his  misfortunes. 

"  From  the  time  when  Jeanne  Dare  was  thirteen  years  old  she  fan- 
cied that  she  heard  voices  in  the  air  and  saw  visions  ;  she  frequently  told 
her  friends  about  them,  and  when  she  was  sixteen  years  old  she  declared 
that  the  supernatural  voices  told  her  she  must  go  and  rid  France  of  its 
enemies,  the  hated  English." 

"  Do  you  suppose  she  really  heard  them  ?"  Mrs.  Bassett  asked. 

'•  She  certainly  believed  so,"  Mary  answered,  diplomatically,  "  and 
went  to  the  Governor  of  the  province  to  ask  him  to  send  her  to  the  King. 
He  refused  at  first,  but  afterwards  consented,  and  she  went  to  C'hinon, 
where  the  King,  Charles  VII.,  was  holding  his  court.  Though  she  had 
never  seen  him,  she  singled  him  out  in  a  group  of  courtiers,  where  he 
was  standing  dressed  like  all  the  others.  She  told  him  of  the  voices  she 
had  heard  and  what  they  said,  and  she  impressed  every  one  with  her 
earnestness  and  her  firm  belief  that  she  was  destined  to  free  her  beloved 
France  from  the  enemies  that  held  possession  of  the  country. 

"  The  King  consented  that  she  should  lead  the  armies  to  battle,  and 
she  did  so.  She  wore  a  suit  of  armor  such  as  was  worn  by  soldiers  at 
that  time,  took  command  of  ten  thousand  men.  attacked  the  English 
who  were  besieging  Orleans,  and  in  a  week  defeated  them  and  forced 
them  to  retreat  to  avoid  capture." 

"That  is  why  they  call  her  the  Maid  of  Orleans,  is  it  not  ("  queried 
Mrs.  Bassett,  as  Mary  paused. 

"Yes,"  was  the  reply.  "Again  and  again  she  defeated  the  English 
armies,  and  in  less  than  three  months  Charles  was  crowned  King  at 
Bheims,  and  Jeanne  Dare  stood  at  his  side  during  the  ceremony,  dressed 


CAPTURE  AND  TRIAL  OF  JEANNE  DARC. 


77 


JEANNE    DARC    HEARING   "  THE    VOICES. 


in  a  man's  armor.  She  declared  that  her  "work  was  done,  and  she 
wished  to  go  back  to  Domremy ;  but  the  King  and  his  ministers  per- 
suaded her  to  stay  with  the  arm}',  and  she  did  so." 

"  Did  she  have  any  more  victories  over  the  English  ?" 
"  Xo ;  and,  according  to  history,  she  did  not  expect  any.  She  was 
wounded  in  an  attack  upon  Paris,  and  a  short  time  afterwards  was  capt- 
ured by  the  English  at  Compiegne  and  taken  to  Kouen.  The  French 
allies  of  the  English  demanded  her  trial  for  sorcery ;  she  was  tried,  con- 
demned, and  here  is  the  spot  where,  on  the  morning  of  "Wednesday.  May 
30, 1431,  she  was  tied  to  a  stake  and  burned  to  death." 

"  "Why,  she  was  only  twenty  years  old  at  the  time  of  her  death !" 
Mrs.  Bassett  exclaimed,  in  astonishment.    "  Onlv  twenty  years  old  !" 


78 


THE   BOY   TRAVELLERS   IX   CENTRAL   EUROPE. 


"  She  was  not  yet  twenty,"  said  Mary,  "  according  to  the  account 
that  has  come  down  to  us.  She  was  a  prisoner  for  a  year  and  a  few  days, 
and  the  time  she  was  with  the  army  was  about  fifteen  months  in  all." 

Mary  paused,  and  Frank  took  up  the  narrative  in  a  comment  upon 
the  character  of  the  Maid  of  Orleans  : 

"The  accounts  of  her  life  say  that  she  impressed  all  with  whom  she 
came  in  contact  with  her  extreme  piety.  No  soldier  would  swear  in 
her  presence,  and  she  made  the  army  which  she  commanded  one  of  the 
most  moral  and  orderly  armies  that  was  ever  known,  whereas  it  had 
before  been  one  of  the  most  disorderly  and  dissolute.  In  the  early  part 
of  her  career  she  seemed  to  have  a  great  deal  of  military  knowledge 
but  in  the  latter  part  of  it  she  was  rash  and  uncontrollable,  and  made 
many  mistakes.  To  one  of  these  mistakes  her  capture  was  due— a  capt- 
ure which  resulted  in  her 
death  at  the  stake." 

The  monument  to  the 
memory  of  Jeanne  Dare 
in  the  market-place  of 
Rouen  is  an  insignificant 
affair,  and  is  practically  a 
fountain  which  supplies  a 
trough  with  water.  There 
is  a  rude  figure  of  the  maid 
upon  the  top  of  the  monu- 
ment, but  the  insignifi- 
cance of  the  structure  is 
such  as  to  greatly  disap- 
point every  visitor  who 
goes  there  without  know- 
ing beforehand  its  real 
character.  A  fine  statue 
of  her  was  unveiled  in 
Paris  in  1>73.  The  house 
where  she  was  born  is  still 
standing  between  two 
buildings  which  were 
founded  as  a  monument 
to  her  memory,  and  it 
contains  a  statue  of  Jeanne 
JEANNE  darc— [Statue  by  m.  chapn.j  Dare  which  was  made  by 


THE  VALLEY   OP   THE    SEINE. 


79 


the  daughter  of 


Louis  Philippe, 
once  King  of 
France. 

From  Rouen  to 
Paris  is  a  ride  of 
two  hours  and  a 
little  more  by  ex- 
press train,  the  dis- 
tance being  eighty- 
four  miles.  The 
railway  follows  the 
general  course  of 
the  Seine,,  cross- 
ing it  two  or  three 
times,  and  passing 
through  tunnels  be- 
neath the  hills  that 
interfered  some- 
what with  the  work 
of  the  engineers 
when  they  laid  out 
the  line.  Here  and 
there  the  views 
from  the  windows 
of  the  railway  car- 
riages are  quite 
pretty.     Mary  and 

Frank  were  constantly  exchanging  observations  and  places  from  the 
windows  of  the  compartment  in  which  they  were  seated,  and  when  the 
journey  was  concluded  there  was  a  good-natured  contention  between 
them  as  to  which  of  the  twain  had  been  most  fortunately  situated. 
Mrs.  Bassett  was  charmed  with  the  appearance  of  the  fields  and  gar- 
dens that  rolled  by  them  like  a  swift-moving  panorama,  and  she  pro- 
nounced the  Seine  one  of  the  prettiest  rivers  she  had  seen  since  she 
left  home. 

As  the  train  rolled  along  Frank  pointed  out  the  towers  of  several 
chateaux  that  had  been  the  residences  of  men  famous  in  the  history  of 
France,  or  the  scenes  of  siege  and  battle  in  the  days  that  were  more 
stormy  than  the  present.     One  of  the  most  interesting  is  the  Chateau 


JOAN    OF    ARC    IN"    BATTLE. 


so 


THE  HOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE 


CHATEAU    GAILLAIID. 


Gaillard,  or  "  Saucy  Castle,"  which  is  now  in  ruins.  It  occupies  a  con- 
spicuous place  on  a  hill  overlooking  the  Seine,  and  was  built  by  King 
Richard  the  Lion-hearted  in  defiance  of  a  treaty  he  had  made  with  his 

rival.  Philippe  Au- 
gustus. 

••  King  Richard 
is  said  to  have  built 
it  in  a  single  year," 
Frank  remarked, 
"and  by  means  of 
it  he  was  able  to 
intercept  the  navi- 
gation of  the  Seine 
between  Paris  and 
the  capital  of  Nor- 
mandy, separate 
the  forts  of  Vernon 
and  Giours,  that 
belonged  to  the 
French  King,  and  overrun  the  country  with  the  plundering  bands  that 
he  sent  out  from  the  castle  at  irregular  intervals." 

'•  Isn't  that  the  castle  where  Marguerite  de  Pourgogne  was  impris- 
oned ?"  Mary  asked,  as  she  contemplated  the  ruins. 

"  Yes,  that  is  the  castle,  and  she  was  strangled  there  by  order  of  her 
husband,  Louis  X.,  King  of  France." 

"  It  was  evident  that  husband  and  wife  were  not  on  pleasant  terms 
in  that  particular  instance,"  Mrs.  Passett  remarked,  in  a  low  tone,  to 
Fred,  who  was  at  her  side,  and  nodded  assent. 

"  That  was  nearby  six  hundred  years  ago,"  said  Fred.  "  They  would 
get  along  better  at  the  present  time,  or,  at  all  events,  the  strangling 
would  not  be  in  fashion  in  any  civilized  land." 

"  The  castle  was  besieged  and  taken  several  times,"  continued  Frank. 
"  It  resisted  Henry  Y.  for  sixteen  months  with  a  small  garrison  of  only 
120  men,  and  only  surrendered  in  consecpience  of  being  cut  off  from  a 
supply  of  water  by  the  wearing  out  of  the  ropes  by  which  the  buckets 
were  lowered  into  the  only  well  that  the  place  contained/' 

Another  chateau  which  attracted  the  attention  of  the  travellers  is  that 
where  Sully,  the  friend  and  confidant  of  King  Henri  IY.  (Henry  of  Xa- 
varre),  was  born,  and  where  much  of  his  life  was  passed.  Frank  directed 
the  eyes  of  his  companions  towards  it,  whereupon  Fred  remarked  that 


THE   BATTLE  OP  IVRY. 


SI 


it  reminded  him  of  the  stirring  lines  of  Macaulay,  entitled  "  The  Battle 
of  Ivry."  "  You  know,"  said  he,  "  that  there  are  few  school-boys  who 
have  not  used  '  The  Battle  of  Ivry '  as  a  piece  of  declamation,  and  an 
excellent  one  it  is  for  that  purpose.'1 

Mary  thought  she  had  heard  or  read  it,  but  couldn't  recall  the  lines 
at  that  moment ;  whereupon  Fred  repeated  the  first  stanza,  ending  with 
the  words, 

"Hurrah  !  hurrah  !    a  single  field  has  turned  the  tide  of  war  ; 
Hurrah  !   hurrah  !  for  Ivry,  and  King  Henry  of  Navarre  !" 

"  I  remember  it  now,"  exclaimed  Mary.  "  But  what  has  that  to  do 
with  this  chateau  of  the  famous  Sully?" 

"  The  battle  of  Ivry  was  the  turning-point  in  the  career  of  Henry  of 
Navarre ;  and  Sully,  who  was  born  here,  was  at  the  side  of  the  King 
throughout  the  battle,  and  was  wounded  several  times  during  the  en- 
gagement.    Henry  of  Navarre  was  the  founder  of  the  royal  House  of 


CASTLE    CHAMBER    OF    FIFTEENTH    CENTURY. 


Bourbon.     After  several  victories  over  his  enemies  he  entered  Paris 
without  resistance,  and,  in  159S,  proclaimed  liberty  of  conscience  to  all 
.  his  subjects  through  the  famous  Edict  of  Nantes.     It  remained  in  force 
until  1685,  when  it  was  revoked  by  Louis  XIV." 

By  this  time  the  chateau  thev  had  been  discussing  was  far  behind 


82 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


them  and  new  objects  claimed  their  attention.  By  general  consent  a 
truce  was  given  to  historical  matters,  and  the  conversation  was  confined 
to  things  and  events  of  the  present  time. 

They  passed  Poissy  and  Asnieres,  the  latter  a  famous  pleasure  resort 


MEDAL    OF    THE    DUtE     OF    SULLY. 


of  Parisians  in  summer,  and  especially  of  those  who  are  fond  of  boating. 
Already  some  of  the  domes  of  Paris  had  been  seen  through  the  trees, 
and  every  moment  the  signs  of  their  near  approach  to  the  capital  grew 
more  numerous.  At  length  the  outer  gates  were  passed  and  the  train 
entered  the  limits  of  the  city.  Cm  and  on  it  went,  passing  through 
tunnels  under  Les  Batignolles  and  the  Place  de  l'Europe,  and  rolling 
through  a  deep  cutting  into  the  Gare  Saint-Lazare.  or  Saint-Lazare 
station  of  ihe  "Western  Railway  of  France. 

And  now  behold  them  in  the  capital  of  the  country  which  has  been 
republic,  kingdom,  empire,  and  again  republic,  all  during  the  space  of  a 
great  deal  less  than  a  single  centurv. 

Apropos  of  the  changes  that  have  come  over  France  in  her  form  of 
government.  Doctor  Bronson  told  a  little  story : 

"Soon  after  the  close  of  the  war  in  1ST0-71  I  had  occasion  to  visit 
Algeria.  Travelling  through  the  interior.  I  came,  on  one  occasion,  to  a 
village  where  the  most  conspicuous  building  was  the  one  occupied  by 
the  military  guards  or  gendarmes.  Over  the  door  of  the  building 
there  had  been  a  sign  bearing  the  words  '  Gendarmerie  Imperiale."  The 
sign  was  in  large  letters  painted  on  the  wall  of  the  house,  and  therefore 
could  not  be  taken  down  in  the  ordinary  way.  The  establishment  of 
the  republic  had  necessitated  the  change  of  the  word  'Imperiale'  to 
'  Nationale.'     The  change  had  been  made  economically,  and  with  a  view 


INCONVENIENCES  OF  GOVERNMENTAL  CHANGES. 


83 


to  possible  contingencies  in  the  future.  The  word  '  Nation '  was  rudely 
painted  on  a  strip  of  canvas,  and  this  had  been  fastened  with  a  few 
carpet-tacks  so  as  to  hide  the  first  six  letters  of  '  Imperiale.' 

"  The  great  steamship  company  which  has  its  starting-point  at  Mar- 
seilles, whence  its  lines  extend  to  all  eastern  waters,  and  as  far  as  Aus- 
tralia, was  chartered  during  the  time  of  the  empire  under  the  title  of 
'Messageries  Imperiales.'  When  the  republic  was  established  the 
name  of  the  company  was  changed  to  '  Messageries  Maritimes,'  so  as 


CHATEAU    OF    HENRY     IV. 


to  cover  the  needs  of  the  present  and  also  any  future  possibilities.  In 
the  event  of  the  return  of  France  to  royal  or  imperial  rule,  there  would 
be  no  necessity  of  changing  the  -word  '  Maritimes,'  which  would  be  sat- 
isfactory enough  under  any  form  of  government." 

We  will  let  Frank  tell  the  story  of  what  was  seen  by  himself  and 
companions  during  their  first  day  in  Paris : 

"  We  have  seen  so  much  to-day,"  wrote  Frank  in  his  journal,  "  that 
I  hardly  know  where  to  begin,  and,  once  beginning,  I  shall  not  know 


Si         THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

when  to  stop.  Paris  has  been  described  so  many  times  that  I  fear  there 
is  little  to  be  said  that  will  be  altogether  new;  but,  on  the  other  hand, 
the  picture  is  always  changing,  and  every  day  presents  something  that 
has  not  been  seen  before  and  possibly  not  heard  of. 

"  It  is  no  wonder  that  the  French  are  proud  of  their  capital  city.  It 
is  so  bright,  so  clean,  so  full  of  gayety,  so  versatile,  and  contains  so 
much  to  interest  everybody  whose  taste  is  in  any  way  refined,  that  we 
find  ourselves  lost  in  admiration  at  almost  every  step.  Happily  for  us, 
the  skies  are  clear  and  the  weather  is  all  that  the  most  fastidious  could 
wish.  "We  have  walked  along  the  boulevards,  sipped  lemonade  at  the 
cafes,  gazed  into  the  windows  of  shops  without  number,  contemplated 
the  exterior  of  many  magnificent  buildings,  watched  the  never-ending 
throng  that  passes  along  the  broad  sidewalks,  and  the  picture  every- 
where presented  is  so  attractive  that  we  shall  be  unwilling  to  leave  it. 
"We  have  seen  very  much  in  this  first  day,  and  feel  certain  that  there  is 
a  vast  deal  more  for  us  to  see  in  the  days  that  are  to  follow. 

"  Mamma  and  Mary  are  sure  they  will  find  everything  that  they 
want  in  the  shops,  and  they  are  already  planning  excursions  in  which 
sight -seeing  and  shopping  shall  be  skilfully  combined.  Well,  we  will 
probably  be  able  to  meet  the  individual  tastes  of  all  with  very  little  dif- 
ficulty. Fred  and  I  have  a  little  shopping  on  our  own  account ;  and  as 
for  Doctor  Bronson,  he  says  he  must  run  over  to  London  for  a  few 
days,  and  will  leave  us  to  plod  along  without  him.  Fred  thinks  that  if 
there  is  any  place  in  the  world  where  we  can  plod  without  assistance, 
Paris  is  that  place. 

"  One  of  the  first  things  to  catch  the  attention  of  visitors  is  the 
cafes,  partly  for  the  reason  that  much  of  the  life  of  the  genuine  Parisian 
centres  in  those  establishments,  and  partly  because  they  are  thrust  upon 
our  sight,  whether  we  want  to  see  them  or  not.  JSTot  only  are  their 
doors  wide  open  for  our  reception,  but  the  tables  and  chairs  are  spread 
on  the  sidewalks  and  constantly  invite  the  pedestrian  to  pause  and  rest. 
If  he  pauses  to  rest  and  sit  at  table,  he  must  order  some  kind  of  refresh- 
ment, as  the  proprietors  of  the  establishments  do  not  maintain  their 
service  for  the  gratuitous  accommodation  of  the  public.  But  the  re- 
freshments may  be  of  the  most  harmless  character :  we  have  not  found 
it  necessary  to  drink  anything  stronger  than  lemonade  and  coffee,  or 
certain  innocuous  syrups  that  are  served  with  mineral  waters  from 
sputtering  siphons  in  the  hands  of  the  waiters. 

"  But  when  we  drank  temperance  beverages  we  did  not  follow  the 
example  of  those  about  us  so  far  as  we  could  observe.     Out  of  curiosity 


86 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


we  watched  those  who  took  places  near  us,  and  found  that  the  majority 
of  them  were  satisfied  with  nothing  more  mild  than  brandy,  which  they 
drink  in  little  glasses  the  size  of  a  thimble,  or  but  very  little  larger,  or 
with  absinthe,  amer  Picon,  or  some  other  stimulant.  Vhde  we  were 
sitting  at  one  of  the  cafes  two  Americans,  at  least  we  judged  them  to 
be  Americans  by  their  language  and  accent,  sauntered  along  and  sat 
clown.  One  of  them  called  for  '  cognac'  (brandy),  and  when  the  waiter 
appeared  with  a  small  carafe  or  decanter  and  the  accompanying  glasses, 
there  was  a  scene  that  ought  to  have  been  sketched  by  an  artist. 

"  One  of  the  twain  was  a  corpulent  man  with  a  rubicund  face,  and 
evidently  accustomed  to  take  his  beverages  in  liberal  doses.  He  glanced 
with  contempt  at  the  diminutive  glass  as  he  took  it  between  his  fin- 
gers ;  he  held  the  glass  till  it  was  tilled,  and  then  tossed  the  contents 
into  his  capacious  mouth.  With  the  same  motion  he  brought  the  glass 
down  to  be  refilled,  and  six  times  in  succession  he  emptied  it  into  his 
mouth  the  instant  the  filling  was  completed.     Then  he  paused  and  his 

friend  followed  his  example. 
The  whole  performance  did  not 
take  five  minutes,  and  the  wait- 
er stood  in  an  attitude  of  sur- 
prise, though  he  did  not  for  an 
instant  lose  control  of  the  mus- 
cles of  his  face.  One  of  the 
strangers  remarked  that  it  took 
at  least  half  a  dozen  of  those 
glasses  to  make  a  respectable 
drink,  to  which  the  other  nodded 
assent  as  he  paid  for  their  con- 
sommations  and  the  twain  pre- 
pared to  move  on. 

"  Some  one  has  wittily  re- 
marked that  Americans  and  Eng- 
lish go  to  saloons  and  cafes  because  they  want  to  drink,  but  Frenchmen 
drink  because  they  want  to  go  to  the  cafe.  The  French  are  not  a  drink- 
ing people  when  Ave  compare  them  with  the  English,  and  probably  four- 
fifths  of  the  people  we  see  at  the  cafes  would  not  order  any  beverages 
were  it  not  for  the  rule  that  compels  them  to  do  so  if  they  want  to 
sit  at  the  tables,  read  the  newspapers,  watch  the  people  who  pass  along 
the  street,  and  talk  with  their  acquaintances  or  with  any  stranger  who 
is  willing  to  talk  with  them.     Mr.  Theodore  Child,  in  an  article  on  this 


mm    a 


AX    OLD    CrSTOMER. 


PECULIARITIES   OF  THE   CAFES.  87 

subject  for  Harper's  Magazine,  says  that  cafes  and  newspapers  came 
into  fashion  almost  simultaneously  about  a  century  ago,  when  Louis 
XVI.  was  King.  Newspapers  increased  in  number  as  the  times  became 
more  interesting,  and  the  ordinary  topics  of  the  day  were  dropped  for 
politics,  in  which  the  discussions  often  grew  very  warm.  Certain  cafes 
became  the  resort  of  men  of  one  way  of  thinking,  the  Jacobins  fre- 
quenting the  Cafe  Corazza,  while  the  Royalists  gathered  at  the  Cafe  de 
Foy.  Many  of  the  revolutionary  clubs  were  formed  in  the  cafes,  and 
even  at  the  present  time  some  of  the  well-known  cafes  or  restaurants 
have  a  certain  distinctive  political  character. 

"  The  same  gentleman  says  that  the  rule  wTas  established  in  those 
days  that  a  man  may  sit  for  six  hours  in  a  cafe,  reading  the  news- 
papers and  discussing  politics  or  anything  else,  on  a  single  order  of  a 
cup  of  coffee  or  a  glass  of  cognac.  The  rule  has  come  down  to  the 
present  time,  and  you  may  see  a  man  sit  a  long  time  over  a  glass  of 
brandy,  which  he  sips  a  few  drops  at  a  time  at  long  intervals.  Cus- 
tomers of  this  sort  are  not  particularly  profitable,  as  the  proprietor  is 
obliged  to  supply  the  daily  newspapers  free  of  charge  to  all  who  wish 
to  read  them ;  and  very  often  a  man  goes  to  a  cafe  because  he  reads 
the  papers  there  for  less  than  it  would  cost  to  buy  them,  and  he  can 
have  a  drink  and  the  free  use  of  chair  and  table  in  addition. 

"  One  cafe  where  we  stopped  a  short  time  is  known  as  the  Tortoni, 
probably  from  the  name  of  the  man  who  established  it,  but  he  must 
have  been  dead  for  a  good  many  years.  This  cafe  is  said  to  be  fully 
a  hundred  years  old,  and  it  was  a  famous  place  as  far  back  as  the  time 
of  the  first  Napoleon.  According  to  tradition  it  was  and  is  the  meet- 
ing-place of  the  fashionable  wits  of  Paris,  and  of  course  they  include 
the  men  who  write  funny  or  sarcastic  things  in  the  newspapers.  As 
we  are  strangers  in  the  city  we  do  not  know  the  faces  of  any  of  the 
fashionables,  and  therefore  I  am  unable  to  say  whether  we  saw  any  of 
the  men  who  are  prominent  in  Parisian  life. 

"When  we  were  tired  of  walking,  looking  into  shop -windows,  or 
sitting  at  the  cafes,  we  hired  a  carriage  and  drove  in  the  direction  of 
the  Bois  de  Boulogne.  When  we  reached  the  Place  de  la  Concorde 
mamma  wanted  the  carriage  stopped,  so  that  she  could  look  around  and 
take  in  the  view  without  missing  anything. 

"  We  called  a  halt,  and  stepped  from  the  carriage  in  order  to  be 
better  able  to  see  what  was  around  us.  We  agreed  that  it  was  the 
prettiest  public  square  we  had  ever  seen;  and  as  this  is  the  opinion  of 
everybody  I  ever  heard  say  anything  on  the  subject,  we  think  we  are 


8S         THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  EN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

not  out  of  the  way.  With  the  fountains  and  statues  that  adorn  it,  and 
the  buildings  that  surround  it  or  are  in  full  view,  it  is  a  grand  spot ; 
with  all  these,  and  the  obelisk  of  Luxor  in  addition,  it  is  magnificent. 

" '  What  is  the  meaning  of  Place  de  la  Concorde  V  mamma  asked. 
'  What  does  the  word  conoorde  mean '.' 

" '  Concorde  is  the  French  for  peace  or  concord,'  Fred  answered. 

" '  Then  this  must  be  the  Place  or  Square  of  Peace,'  mamma  an- 
swered.    '  Has  it  always  been  as  peaceful  as  it  is  now  V 

"  Fred  explained  that  the  history  of  the  Place  de  la  Concorde  was 
anything  but  peaceful.  '  In  1763,'  said  he,  '  it  was  named  Place  Louis 
XV.,  in  honor  of  that  ruler.  Seven  years  later,  during  a  celebration, 
the  accidental  discharge  of  some  rockets  caused  a  panic,  in  which 
twelve  thousand  people  were  crushed  to  death,  and  as  many  more 
severely  hurt ;  in  1793  the  guillotine  began  its  work  here,  and  in  little 
more  than  two  years  not  fewer  than  three  thousand  persons  were  be- 
headed in  this  square.  Among  them  were  King  Louis  XVI.,  Queen 
Marie  Antoinette,  Charlotte  Corday,  the  Duke  of  Orleans,  Danton, 
Robespierre,  and  other  persons  of  note." 

" '  It  ought  rather  to  be  called  Place  de  la  Discorde,"  said  Mrs.  Bas- 
sett,  as  Fred  paused  a  moment  in  his  narrative.  We  all  nodded  assent, 
and  then  Fred  continued,  as  follows : 

"  '  The  next  bloodshed  of  consequence  was  in  1871,  when  the  regular 
troops  of  the  Government  were  resisted  by  the  Communists.  The  Com- 
munists had  erected  a  barricade  in  the  Rue  Royale.  and  they  fought 
desperately  to  hold  possession  of  it.  Several  houses  in  the  Rue  Royale 
and  nem'hborinfr  streets  were  set  on  fire,  and  the  tanks  of  the  engines 
that  came  to  pretend  to  extinguish  the  flames  were  filled  with  petro- 
leum in  place  of  water.  The  more  they  played  upon  the  fire  the  fiercer 
it  became,  as  you  might  suppose.' 

"  From  the  Place  de  la  Concorde  we  drove  through  the  Champs- 
Ely  sees  (Elysian  Fields),  past  the  Arc  de  Triomphe,  and  out  to  the  Bois 
de  Boulogne.  It  was  a  drive  full  of  interest  at  every  step.  It  was  the 
hour  when  people  were  promenading  in  the  Champs-Elysees :  we  had 
wondered  where  all  the  people  came  from  whom  we  saw  on  the  boule- 
vards, and  now  we  wondered  again  at  the  crowds  in  this  part  of  the 
eity.  It  was  the  same  sort  of  life  that  we  had  already  seen,  everybody 
enjoying  himself  without  interfering  with  others,  and  everybody  doing 
whatever  he  pleased  within  proper  limitations.  Mary  suggested  that 
we  stop  a  while  and  stroll  amoug  the  trees,  or  sit  in  the  chairs  or  on 
the  benches,  but  Fred  and  I  advised  her  to  postpone  that  enjoyment 


90        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

until  some  day  when  we  did  not  have  a  carriage  engaged  by  the 
hour  at  the  regulation  tariff. 

"The  carriages  were  as  numerous  on  the  avenue  of  the  Champs- 
Elysees  as  the  pedestrians  were  upon  the  sidewalks  or  among  the  trees 
— not  literally  as  numerous,  but  in  proportion,  it  was  the  time  of  the 
daily  promenade,  and  the  great  majority  of  the  carriages  were  driving 
in  the  direction  of  the  Bois  de  Boulogne,  or  the  '  Bois,'  as  it  is  usually 
called.  There  was  a  goodly  number  of  gentlemen  on  horseback ;  some 
of  them  were  good  riders,  while  others  acted  as  though  they  had  never 
mounted  a  horse  before  that  day.  On  the  whole,  I  think  we  saw  fewer 
riders  than  in  Berlin,  when  we  took  our  drive  in  the  Thiergarten  at  the 
fashionable  hour,  and  so  I  conclude  that  horseback  exercise  is  not  as 
popular  with  the  French  as  with  the  Germans. 

''The  Bois  de  Boulogne  is  a  very  pretty  park,  but  I  don't  think  it 
as  tine  as  our  own  Central  Park  in  Xew  York,  though  it  is  nearly  three 
times  as  large.  It  has  suffered  a  good  deal  by  war,  nearly  all  the  large 
trees  having  been  cut  down  in  1S14-15  ;  those  that  grew  up  after  that 
time  were  doing  very  well  until  the  war  of  1870-71,  when  all  trees 
near  the  fortifications  were  destroyed  in  order  to  give  a  clear  sweep  to 
the  French  cannoneers  who  defended  the  city. 

"  They  have  lakes  in  the  Bois  just  as  we  have  in  Central  Park :  and 
they  have  something  of  which  we  cannot  boast :  a  cascade  forty  feet 
high  which  comes  out  of  a  grotto,  and  looks  for  all  the  world  as  though 
it  was  a  natural  cascade  which  had  never  been  touched  by  human 
hands.  But  they  tell  us  that  the  lakes  are  artificial,  and  so  is  the  cas- 
cade, just  as  much  as  are  the  roads  and  the  gravelled  walks.  They 
must  have  spent  a  great  deal  of  money  on  the  Bois  de  Boulogne  to 
make  it  what  it  is.  According  to  history,  it  used  to  be  a  haunt  of 
robbers  and  a  favorite  resort  for  men  who  wanted  to  fight  duels  or 
commit  suicide.  Duels  are  very  rare  now,  but  suicides  are  by  no  means 
infrequent,  so  we  are  told  by  a  gentleman  whom  we  met  here. 

"We  dined  at  the  restaurant  near  the  cascade,  and  had  a  very  good 
and  also  a  very  dear  dinner.  Visitors  complain  a  great  deal  about  the 
charges  at  this  restaurant,  but  in  spite  of  their  complaints  the  place 
is  very  popular,  if  we  may  judge  by  the  number  of  people  we  saw 
there.  Probably  the  managers  would  say  that  those  who  do  not  like 
to  pay  their  prices  can  go  somewhere  else,  and  that  is  what  we  shall 
probably  do  in  future.  But  in  this  instance  we  wanted  to  dine  there, 
so  as  to  drive  back  to  the  city  in  the  evening  and  see  how  the  streets 
appeared  under  the  light  of  gas  and  electricity.     We  were  well  paid 


PARIS  AT   NIGHT. 


91 


RIDINfi    FOR    HIS    HEALTH. 


for  our  outlay,  and  advise  every  one  who  visits  Paris  to  drive  along 
the  Champs-Elysees  in  the  evening  and  observe  the  effect  of  the  light, 
especially  as  he  looks  along  the  avenue  from  the  Arc  de  Triomphe. 
]S"o  street  or  avenue  in  any  American  city  can  possibly  compare  with 
it;  at  any  rate,  none  that  we  have  ever  seen. 

"  "Well,  I'm  tired  and  sleepy,  and  think  I  have  said  all  I  can  for  this 
evening.  There's  more  to  tell  you,  lots  and  lots,  but  I'll  put  it  off  till 
some  other  time.     Good-night." 

Mrs.  Bassett's  desire  was  to  see  some  of  the  famous  churches  of 
which  she  had  heard  and  read,  and  so  the  youths  engaged  to  visit  the 
principal  ones  on  their  way  about  the  city.  On  their  way  to  the  Bois 
de  Boulogne  they  had  passed  the  Madeleine,  which  the  good  woman 


92         THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

could  hardly  believe  was  a  church,  as  it  looked  so  unlike  any  religious 
edifice  that  she  had  ever  before  seen.  Frank  explained  that  it  is  mod- 
elled after  a  Greek  temple,  and  was  begun  near  the  middle  of  the  last 
century,  but  not  finished  until  1S42.  Napoleon  I.  ordered  that  it  should 
be  converted  into  a  "Hall  of  Glory,"  but  when  Louis  XVII 1.  ascended 
the  throne  the  plans  of  Napoleon  were  dropped,  and  the  work  pro- 
ceeded upon  the  original  intention  of  making  it  a  church. 

The  most  famous  of  all  the  churches  of  Paris  is  that  of  Notre 
Dame,  and  Frank  arranged  the  excursion  of  their  second  day  in  Paris 
so  that  they  might  visit  it.  On  arriving  near  it  they  spent  some  time 
contemplating  the  exterior,  and  especially  in  looking  at  the  magnificent 
facade,  which  has  been  taken  as  the  model  of  many  other  church  facades 
in  various  parts  of  France.  It  was  begun  in  the  early  part  of  the  thir- 
teenth century,  Frank  explained,  but  a  long  time  was  required  for  its 
completion  in  its  present  shape. 

"  Then  the  church  must  be  six  hundred  years  old !"  Mrs.  Bassett 
exclaimed,  as  she  contemplated  the  edifice. 

"  Some  parts  of  it  are  older,"  replied  Frank.  "  There  was  a  church 
here  as  early  as  the  fourth  century,  and  the  present  one  was  founded 
in  the  vear  1163,  on  the  orio-inal  site.  The  building;  has  been  altered 
several  times,  and  parts  of  it  that  were  destroyed  by  time  or  by  vio- 
lence have  been  restored  in  the  past  fifty  years.  Do  you  happen  to 
know  that  at  one  time  it  was  doomed  to  be  torn  down?" 

"  I  know,"  said  Alary.  "  In  the  Bevolution  of  1793  order  was  issued 
for  pulling  down  the  church,  but  only  the  sculptures  were  destroyed. 
The  revolutionists  converted  it  into  a  '  Temple  of  Eeason,'  and  re- 
moved all  the  religious  sculptures,  which  they  replaced  by  some  of 
their  own.  After  the  Eevolution  it  was  again  used  as  a  church  until 
1S71,  when  the  Communists  converted  it  into  a  military  storehouse, 
plundered  the  treasury,  and  destroyed  many  of  the  statues  and  decora- 
tions. They  actually  set  fire  to  the  church,  but  it  was  not  seriously 
damaged." 

"  What  a  pity  it  would  have  been,"  said  Mrs.  Bassett,  "  if  this  magnifi- 
cent church  had  been  destroyed !  Everybody  who  knows  anything  about 
Paris  knows  about  this  building,  and  is  sure  to  want  to  see  it." 

"This  is  the  oldest  part  of  Paris,"  Frank  continued — "this  little 
island,  called  He  de  la  Cite,  where  we  now  are." 

"  Isn't  this  where  Lutetia  was  ?"  Mary  asked. 

"  Yes, '  was  the  reply.  "  When  Gaul  was  conquered  by  Julius  Caesar 
there  was  a  tribe  called  Parish  living  on  the  banks  of  the  Sequana,  or 


CHURCH   OF  NOTRE   DAME. 


93 


Seine.  Their  chief  town  was  Lutetia,  and  it  was  on  this  very  island.  It 
was  a  collection  of  huts,  and  the  inhabitants  fou°ht  against  the  invaders 
and  burned  their  town  rather  than  see  it  fall  into  the  hands  of  the 
Romans  who  came  to  conquer  them." 

"  How  long  ago  was  that  V  queried  Mrs.  Bassett. 

"  In  the  year  52  b.c,"  replied  Frank.  "  The  Gauls  submitted  because 
they  were  defeated,  but  they  rebelled  two  or  three  times,  though  without 
success.  The  Emperor  Julian  lived  here  in  the  year  360,  and  changed 
the  name  from  Lutetia  to  Parish,  or  Paris,  and  it  has  kept  the  name  ever 
since,  unless  history  is  at  fault." 

"  I  wonder  what  New  York  and  Chicago  will  be  when  they  are  as 
old  as  Paris  ?"  said  Mrs.  Bassett,  as  she  turned  to  contemplate  the  objects 
of  interest  in  the  venerable  church  in  which  they  stood.  Nobody  vent- 
ured to  answer  her  query,  and  so  her  contemplation  was  not  interrupted. 


PART    OF    ANCIENT    CHURCH    WINDOW,  PARIS. 


y4 


THE  HOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE  BASTILE ;  WHAT  REMAINS  OF  IT  TO-DAY ;  ITS  HISTORY  AND  USES ;  CAPTURE 
AND  DESTRUCTION.— LETTRES  DE  CACJZET.—LAXAYEftTE  AND  THE  KEY  OF 
THE  BASTILE.— THE  LOUVRE;  ITS  HISTORY.— CATHERINE  DE  MEDICIS  AND  THE 
PALACE  OF  THE  TUILERIES;  BURNING  OF  THE  PALACE  IN  1871.— A  CHAT  ABOUT 
THE  COMMUNISTS.— COMMUNES  OF  1789  AND  1871.— THE  CORPS  LEGISLATED— 
CHAMBER  OF  DEPUTIES  IN  SESSION.  — GAMBETTA.  — AN  OLD  SENATOR.  — HOW 
THE  FRENCH  PRESIDENT  IS  CHOSEN— THE  VENDOME  COLUMN  AND  SOMETHING 
ABOUT  IT.  — THE  FATAL  PHOTOGRAPH.  — THE  INVALIDES  AND  THE  TOMB  OF 
NAPOLEON.— A  BIT  OF  MORALIZING. 


AS  the  party  came  out  of  the  Church  of  Xotre  Dame,  Mrs.  Bassett 
-  asked  if  they  were  going  to  see  the  Louvre  and  the  Tuileries  at 
any  time  during  the  day.  She  wanted  to  see  those  buildings  and  also 
the  Bastile — or,  rather,  the  place  where  it  was. 

"  You  have  already  seen  a,  part  of  the  Bas- 
tile,"' said  Frank,  in  response. 

••  I  wasn't  aware  of  it,"  was  the  reply.  "  When 
and  where  did  we  see  it  ?" 

'•  When  we  were  in  the  Place  de  la  Concorde," 
said  Frank.  "  You  remember  the  bridge  that 
crosses  the  Seine  from  the  square  to  the  Cham- 
ber of  Deputies  on  the  other  bank,  do  you  not  ?" 

"  Certainly  I  remember  a  bridge.  Mary,  what 
was  the  name  of  it  ?" 

"  The  Pont  de  la  Concorde,  mamma,"  the  girl 


answered. 

"  Very  well."  Frank  explained ;  "  that  bridge 

was  built  in  1TS9-90,  and  the  greater  part  of  the 

material  for  it — at  least,  the  upper  portion — was 

taken  from  the  Bastile." 

"  Perhaps  it  was  a  sentimental  idea  of  somebody  to  put  the  stones  of 

the  Bastile,  the  prison  where  the  tyrants  sent  so  many  of  their  victims,  in 

a  place  where  they  could  be  walked  upon  by  the  whole  population,"  Mary 

remarked.     "  At  anv  rate,  it  was  an  excellent  use  to  make  of  that  ma- 


KEV    OF  THE   BASTILE, 


THE   BASTILE. 


95 


terial — to  put  it  where  it  could  benefit  everybody,  rather  than  be  a 
terror  to  all  except  a  very  few." 

It  is  only  a  short  distance  to  the  site  of  the  Bastile  from  where  they 
entered  the  carriage,  and  so  Frank  instructed  the  driver  to  take  them 
thither.  In  a  few  minutes  the  column  that  marks  the  spot  where  the 
prison  once  stood  was  in  full  view,  and  our  friends  halted  in  front  of  it. 
Mrs.  Bassett  intimated  that  she  would  like  to  know  something  of  the 
history  of  the  famous  prison,  and  her  desire  was  gratified  by  Fred. 

"  Bastile  was  a 
common  name  for 
a  strong  fortress 
with  towers  or 
bastions  through- 
out France,"  said 
Fred;  "but  in 
course  of  time  it 
became  applied  to 
this  particular  pris- 
on, which  was  built 
by  order  of  Charles 
V.,  some  time  be- 
tween 1370  and 
1383,  as  a  defence 
against  the  Eng- 
lish. The  Bastile 
was  converted  into 

a  political  prison  in  the  sixteenth  and  seventeenth  centuries ;  but,  ac- 
cording to  history,  it  could  only  accommodate  less  than  one  hundred 
prisoners  at  one  time." 

"  Why,  I  thought  they  had  thousands  of  them  here  all  the  while !" 
Mrs.  Bassett  exclaimed,  as  Fred  paused. 

"  That  is  the  popular  belief,"  was  the  reply ;  "  but,  according  to  history, 
it  is  a  mistaken  one.  "We  must  bear  in  mind  that  the  persons  confined 
here  were  not  ordinary  prisoners,  but  men  and  women  of  high  rank  whom 
it  was  desired  to  get  out  of  the  way  without  the  formality  of  a  trial. 
They  were  generally  sent  here  by  lettre  de  cachet  and — " 

"  "What  is  a  lettre  de  cachet  ?     I  must  plead  ignorance  about  it." 

"  A  lettre  de  cachet  is  a  sealed  letter.  All  royal  letters  were  either 
patentes  or  cachets.  The  patentee,  or  open  letters,  were  signed  by  the 
King,  countersigned  by  a  Minister  of  State,  and  stamped  with  the  great 


THE  BASTILE.  —  [From  an  old  print.] 


96        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

seal  of  State,  while  the  cachet  letters  were  folded  up  and  sealed  with  the 
king's  little  seal,  and  did  not  pass  through  the  hands  of  any  of  the  royal 
ministers.  They  were  very  common  in  the  time  of  Louis  XIV..  who 
found  them  exceedingly  convenient  for  his  purposes.  Persons  arrested 
under  these  letters  were  sent  to  the  Bastile  or  some  other  State  prison, 
and  they  stayed  there  all  their  lives  for  the  sole  reason  that  thev  had 
been  forgotten." 

"  No  wonder  the  people  destroyed  the  Bastile,  if  that  was  the  use  the 
King  made  of  it.     Was  it  full  of  prisoners  at  the  time  it  was  captured  '." 

"  Xo,"'  answered  Fred ;  "  there  were  only  seven  prisoners  in  the  Bastile 
when  the  people  took  it  on  July  14.  1789,  and  three  of  them  were  un- 
known. One  had  been  there  thirty  years.  "When  he  was  liberated  he 
was  like  a  man  just  aroused  from  sleep,  and  his  intellect  was  practically 
gone.  Another  prisoner  had  been  there  since  he  was  eleven  years  old, 
and  another  had  been  twenty  years  inside  the  walls  of  the  Bastile. 

"  The  prisoners  in  the  Bastile  were  not  allowed  to  see  any  one  but 
their  guards,  and  many  of  their  cells  were  so  arranged  that  their  food 
was  passed  to  them  through  a  small  wicket ;  and  though  they  could  be 
seen  by  the  guards,  they  could  not  themselves  see  anything.  They  were 
poorly  fed  and  very  badly  treated,  and  altogether  it  is  a  wonder  that 
any  of  them  lived  as  long  as  they  did.  Many  persons  of  prominence 
were  confined  here  at  different  times ;  among  them  were  Voltaire,  Mar- 
shal Bichelieu,  and  the  Man  in  the  Iron  Mask." 

Then  the  conversation  turned  to  the  events  connected  with  the  fall 
of  the  Bastile  in  the  early  part  of  the  French  Bevolution.  Mrs.  Bassett 
was  under  the  impression  that  there  was  always  a  very  large  garrison  in 
charge  of  the  prison.  She  was  somewhat  surprised  to  learn  that  at  the 
time  of  its  capture  the  Governor  had  under  his  command  a  garrison  of 
thirty-two  Swiss  soldiers  and  thirty-two  invalids.  At  the  demand  of  the 
mob  he  removed  some  of  the  cannon  from  the  towers  and  roof :  this  did 
not  satisfy  the  populace,  and  they  brought  artillery  to  bear  upon  the 
building,  after  a  fight  in  which  150  of  the  besiegers  were  killed  or 
wounded  and  one  of  the  garrison  was  killed. 

"  I  have  seen  the  key  of  the  Bastile,"  said  Mrs.  Bassett.  "  It  is  at 
Mount  Vernon,  the  home  of  General  Washington,  and  hangs  in  a  glass- 
case  in  the  hall-way." 

"  Yes,"  said  Mary ;  "  I  remember  reading  in  my  school  history  that 
Lafayette  sent  the  key  of  the  Bastile  to  his  old  commander-in-chief  a 
short  time  after  the  destruction  of  the  prison." 

••  General  Lafavette  was  the  commander  of  the  French  Xational 


PROM  THE  BASTILE  TO  THE  LOUVRE. 


97 


DESTRUCTION   OF   THE   BASTILE. — [From  an  old  print] 


Guard  in  1789,"  said  Fred,  "  and  it  was  by  his  orders  that  the  prison  was 
destroyed  after  the  surrender  of  the  garrison.'' 

From  the  Place  de  la  Bastille  the  party  drove  to  the  Louvre,  where 
they  remained  only  a  short  time.  Frank  said  the  day  was  too  pleasant 
to  be  passed  in-doors,  and  they  would  leave  the  art  sights  of  the  Louvre 
until  a  rainy  day,  when  they  would  go  there  and  take  things  leisurely. 

"  What  an  immense  building  it  is !"  said  Mrs.  Bassett,  as  they  passed 
slowly  along  its  front. 

"  Yes,"  replied  Frank,  "  it  is  one  of  the  finest  and  most  interesting 

7 


98         THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

buildings  in  Paris,  and  a  great  deal  of  the  history  of  France  is  connected 
with  it.  There  was  once  a  forest  here  which  was  infested  with  wolves, 
and  was  consequently  called  the  Lupera,  or  Louverie.  A  castle  was 
built  here  in  the  thirteenth  century,  and  afterwards  fitted  up  as  a  royal 
residence,  but  no  part  of  it  is  now  in  existence.  The  oldest  parts  of  the 
present  edifice  date  from  the  middle  of  the  sixteenth  century.  Francis. 
I.  caused  the  removal  of  the  old  chateau  and  began  the  present  palace, 
and  it  was  enlarged  by  subsequent  rulers.  Under  Catherine  de  Medicis, 
the  widow  of  Henri  II.,  the  Louvre  was  extended  to  the  westward,  and 
the  erection  of  the  palace  of  the  Tuileries  Avas  begun." 

Mrs.  Bassett  was  practical,  and  wanted  to  know  how  much  ground 
Avas  occupied  by  the  Louvre  and  the  Tuileries. 

"Altogether  they  occupy  an  area  of  forty -eight  acres,''  Frank  an- 
swered, "  and  in  this  area  are  included  the  three  court-yards  which  are 
enclosed  by  the  buildings.  Regarded  as  one  structure,  the  Louvre  and 
Tuileries  may  be  considered  one  of  the  finest  palaces  in  the  world.  For 
nearly  a  hundred  years  the  Louvre  has  been  used  as  an  art  gallery  and 
museum,  and  it  contains  enough  to  occupy  the  attention  of  a  visitor  for 
days  and  weeks  together." 

From  the  Louvre  our  friends  drove  alons;  the  Rue  de  Rivoli,  in  front 
of  the  Tuileries.  As  they  went  along,  Frank  explained  to  his  mother 
that  the  palace,  which  owed  its  commencement  to  Catherine  de  Medicis 
and  its  completion  to  Napoleon  III.,  was  no  longer  in  existence,  with  the 
exception  of  the  wings  which  connected  it  with  the  Louvre. 

••  I  remember,"  said  Mrs.  Bassett,  "  that  the  palace  was  burned  by 
the  Communists  in  1S71.  The  wonder  is  that  all  the  buildings  here 
were  not  destroyed." 

"  It  is  not  to  the  credit  of  the  Communists  that  any  portion  of  them 
is  standing  to-day.  "When  the  Communists  found  that  the  troops  from 
Versailles  were  entering  the  city,  they  set  fire  to  many  of  the  public 
buildings,  and  among  them  the  Palace  of  the  Tuileries.  By  the  time  the 
Yersailles  troops  Avere  in  possession  of  the  city  the  flames  had  made  such 
havoc  that  it  was  impossible  to  save  the  palace.  All  of  the  Avest  side 
Avas  destroyed,  including  the  apartments  occupied  by  Xapoleon  III.  and 
the  Empress  Eugenie.  JSo  attempt  was  made  to  save  anything ;  in  fact, 
the  policy  of  the  Communists  Avas  to  destroy  everything  that  could  be 
a  reminder  of  the  imperial  regime." 

"  I  don't  knoAV  that  I  understand  exactly  who  the  Communists 
Avere,"  said  Mrs.  Bassett. 

"  That  is  the  case  with  a  great  many  others,"  Frank  replied,  "and  it 


THE  PARIS  COMMUNISTS. 


99 


is  possible  that  many  of  those  who  called  themselves  Communists  would 
be  unable  to  explain  their  views.  The  principle  of  Communism  is  very 
old,  and  may  be  explained  in  a  general  way  as  a  system  by  which  all 
property  is  held  in  common.  Socialism  and  Communism  run  very 
closely  together,  and  the  former  may  be  fairly  included  in  the  latter." 

"  But  what  I  particularly  refer  to  now,"  said  Mrs.  Bassett,  "  is  the 
Commune  of  Paris  of  which  we  were  just  now  talking." 

"  The  Paris  Commune  was  political  rather  than  social,"  was  the  re- 
ply.  "  The  commune  is  the  name  of  the  village  or  municipal  adminis- 
tration all  over  France,  and  is  very  much  like  our  town  or  township  ad- 
ministration in  America.  The  idea  of  the  Paris  Communists  was  that 
evenr  commune  should  be  an  independent  government  by  itself,  and  the 
country  of  France  nothing  more  than  a  confederation  of  such  govern- 
ments. They  wanted  to  make  the  city  of  Paris  a  republic  by  itself,  and 
do  away  with  everything  like  a  central  government  for  the  country, 
with  power  over  the  city. 

"  The  Commune  of  1S71  was  not  by  any  means  the  first  in  Paris," 
Frank  continued.     "'There  was  a  Commune  of  Paris  in  1789.     It  was 


THE    LOUVRE    OF    THE    TIME    OF    CHARLES    T. 


10(1 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


organized  on  the  day  the  Bastile  was  taken,  and  remained  in  existence 
for  a  few  days  more  than  four  years.  Under  it  were  committed  many 
of  the  excesses  that  disgraced  the  revolution,  and  the  moderate  men  of 
France  saw  very  early  that  the  country  would  be  ruined  and  utterly 
broken  up  if  the  revolutionary  committee,  called  '  The  Commune,'  was 

allowed  to  continue.     It 
was  under  this  Commune 
that  so   many  men  and 
women  were  sent  to  the 
scaffold  for  no  other  of- 
fence than  their  unwill- 
ingness  to   subscribe    to 
the  new  doctrines.-    The 
commune    of    1871    was 
formed  on  the  same  gen- 
eral lines  as  that  of  17S9. 
and    if    it    had    been   al- 
lowed   to    last    as    long 
would  no  doubt  have  been 
just    as    extreme    in    its 
measures.    It  lasted  little 
more  than  t  wo  months — 
from  March  18th  to  May 
28th— but   in  that  short 
time  it  destroyed  a  great 
deal  of  property,  and  put 
to  death  many  prominent 
men  who  had  fallen  into 
the  insurgent  hands." 
"  They  killed  the  Archbishop  of  Paris,  did  they  not  ?"  Mary  asked. 
"  Yes,  the  Archbishop  of  Paris,  Generals  Lecomte  and  Thomas,  and 
a  good  many  other  prominent  men  whom  they  had  put  in  prison.     An 
order  was  issued  on  May  24th  that  all  the  prisoners  then  in  the  hands 
of  the  Communists  should  be  taken  out  and  shot,  and  it  was  carried 
out  that  very  evening.     The  fires  that  destroyed  the  public  and  pri- 
vate buildings  were  burning  for   five   or   six  days,  and  it  was  after- 
wards    ascertained  that   the  Communists  had  determined  to   destroy 
the  entire  city,  so  that  the  victory  of  the  Government  would  be  a  use- 
less one." 

"Then  I'm  to  understand,"  said  Mrs.  Bassett.  "that  if  the  Commu- 


MARQUIS    Dfc    LAFAYETTE. 


THE  TERRIBLE  WEEK.  101 

nists  could  have  carried  out  their  plans  there  would  have  been  only  a 
heap  of  ruins  where  the  city  now  is." 

"  Yes,  that  is  exactly  what  they  determined  to  leave  behind  them 
in  case  they  were  defeated.  Even  after  the  Government  troops  were 
in  possession  a  great  number  of  fires  were  set  in  all  parts  of  the  city. 
Women  were  very  active  in  setting  these  fires  and  in  scattering  petro- 
leum around  so  as  to  make  the  flames  more  fierce.  The  national  troops 
shot  down  women  as  well  as  men  Avho  were  charged  with  setting-  tires, 
and  there  is  no  doubt  that  a  great  number  of  those  who  were  thus  killed 
were  entirely  innocent  of  the  crime  charged  against  them.  If  men  or 
women  were  pointed  out  as  petroleurs  or  pet?vleuses,  they  were  shot 
down  without  any  inquiry.  Many  of  the  leaders  were  captured  and 
afterwards  regularly  tried ;  some  were  executed,  and  others  sent  to 
prison  for  life  or  long  terms  of  years." 

"  How  many  buildings  were  burned  at  that  time  ?"  Mary  asked. 

"  I  can't  say  exactly,"  replied  Frank,  "  but  there  were  hundreds  of 
private  houses  set  on  fire  during  the  week  which  may  well  be  called  the 
terrible  one.  Then  there  were  the  Tuileries  Palace,  as  you  know,  the 
Hotel  de  Ville,  or  City  Hall,  the  Palace  of  Justice,  Prefecture  of  Police, 
Palace  of  the  Legion  of  Honor,  the  Theatre  of  the  Porte  St.  Martin, 
grenier  tVabondance,  several  churches,  and  some  large  mercantile  estab- 
lishments, besides  smaller  public  buildings.  Many  of  these  buildings 
have  been  replaced,  but  the  Palace  of  the  Tuileries  has  not,  nor  is  it 
likely  to  be,  as  the  Government  has  at  present  no  use  for  an  imperial 
palace  either  in  Paris  or  elsewhere." 

"  Of  course  not,"  said  Mary,  "  as  it  is  a  republic.  Do  they  choose 
their  President  every  four  years,  as  we  do  in  the  United  States  ?" 

"  No ;  he  is  elected  once  in  seven  years,  but  not  by  the  people  di- 
rectly, as  our  President  is.  France  has  a  Congress  like  ours,  which  con- 
sists of  a  Senate  and  a  Chamber  of  Deputies,  and  when  a  President  is  to 
be  chosen,  the  two  Houses  come  together  into  a  national  assembly,  or 
congress,  and  ballot  for  a  choice.  The  voting  is  continued  until  a  choice 
is  made  by  a  majority,  and  sometimes  the  scenes  at  the  election  of  a 
President  have  been  anything  but  orderly." 

"  How  many  members  are  there  in  the  two  Houses  or  the  Corps 
Legislatif,  as  they  call  it?" 

"The  Chamber  consists  of  five  hundred  and  eighty -four  Deputies, 
who  are  elected  for  four  years  directly  by  the  people,  as  our  members 
of  Congress  are  chosen.  There  are  three  hundred  Senators,  who  are 
elected  for  nine  years,  one  -third  of  them  retiring  every  three  years. 


102        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

They  are  not  elected  by  the  people  directly,  but  by  an  electoral  body 
composed  of  delegates  chosen  by  the  municipal  council  of  each  com- 
mune in  proportion  to  its  population,  and  of  the  Deputies  and  certain 
other  officers  of  each  department." 

••  I  suppose  the  Senators  and  Deputies  make  laws,  very  much  as  our 


MEETING-PLACE    OF    THE    CHAMBER    OF    DEPUTIES. 

Congress  and  the  Parliament   of  England  do.  and  the  President  exe- 
cutes them  after  thev  are  made." 

"  Yes  •  the  methods  are  so  nearly  like  our  own  and  the  English  that 
it  is  unnecessary  to  describe  them.  The  President  has  a  ministry  ap- 
pointed by  himself,  and  there  is  also  an  institution  peculiar  to  France 
which  is  called  '  Conseil  d'Etat '  (Council  of  State).  It  was  established 
by  Napoleon  L,  and  has  kept  up  ever  since  through  all  the  changes  of 
this  very  changeable  Government." 

••  How  is  it  composed  and  what  does  it  do  ?" 

••  It  consists  of  Councillors  and  other  officials,  all  of  them  owing 
their  appointments  to  the  President,  and  is  presided  over  by  the 
Minister  of  Justice.     It  may  be  regarded  as  an  advisory  board,  as  its 


FRENCH  SENATE  AND   CHAMBER   OF  DEPUTIES.  103 

duty  is  to  give  opinions  upon  questions  that  the  Government  may 
submit  to  it ;  it  does  not  originate  anything,  nor  suggest  laws  to  be 
passed  by  the  legislative  body. 

"  I  suppose  the  Chamber  of  Deputies  looks  very  much  like  the 
American  House  of  Eepresentatives,  does  it  not  ?"  Mrs.  Bassett  asked. 

"  It  resembles  it  in  many  ways,"  was  the  reply,  "  and  the  differences 
are  mainly  those  of  differences  of  French  and  American  character.  It 
is  a  great  deal  more  turbulent  than  the  American  Congress,  and  very 
often  the  presiding  officer  finds  it  impossible  to  preserve  anything  like 
order.  A  dozen,  or  perhaps  fifty,  members  will  be  on  their  feet  all  at 
once  and  shouting  at  the  top  of  their  voices ;  the  din  and  confusion 
remind  the  visitor  of  a  boiler -factory  in  full  operation.  Time  and 
time  again  the  president  rings  his  bell  and  pounds  the  desk  with  his 
gavel  or  a  paper-cutter,  but  to  no  effect;  then  he  calls  out,  iUn peu  de 
silence,  messieurs/  Un peu  de  silence /'  He  calls  it  repeatedly;  and  if 
he  has  a  voice  stronger  than  that  of  any  one  else,  he  may  manage 
to  make  himself  heard.  If  he  cannot,  he  sends  the  sergeants-at-arms 
around  among  the  members,  and  between  their  commands  and  the 
weariness  of  those  who  have  been  vainly  trying  to  catch  the  president's 
attention  something  like  silence  is  eventually  secured. 

"  One  of  the  best  presiding  officers  that  ever  stood  over  the  Chamber 
of  Deputies  was  M.  Gambetta,  who  was  prominent  in  the  organization 
of  the  Government  after  the  downfall  of  the  Second  Empire.  His 
voice  generally  rang  out  clear  and  distinct  above  the  confusion  of  the 
Chamber;  and  though  he  sometimes  lost  his  temper,  he  generally 
managed  to  bring  order  out  of  chaos  through  his  skill  and  patience." 

"  Do  both  Houses  meet  in  the  building  of  the  Corps  Legislatif  ?" 
Mary  asked,  as  her  brother  paused. 

"  Oh  no,"  answered  Frank.  "  The  Senate  meets  in  the  Palace  of  the 
Luxembourg,  a  mile  away  from  the  Pont  de  la  Concorde.  The  Senate 
is  a  much  more  orderly  body  than  the  Chamber  of  Deputies ;  the  mem- 
bers average  a  good  deal  older,  and  they  have  naturally  much  more 
dignity,  as  the  majority  of  them  belong  to  old  families  or  have  won  dis- 
tinction for  themselves  in  military,  literary,  or  professional  life.  There 
was  formerly  one  member  of  the  Senate,  M.  Dufaure,  who  had  sat  in 
that  illustrious  body  under  five  different  Governments,  and  occupied  the 
same  identical  seat  through  all  the  changes.  He  died  in  1881,  and  was 
eighty-three  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  his  death.  There  are  other 
members  who  have  served  under  two  or  three  Governments,  but  he  was 
the  only  one  who  could  count  five  on  his  list. 


104       THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


:_■_  ^  sssssawgawaPa  ^^^u1  bb  - 


SI.  GAMBETTA    PRESIDING    OVER    THE    CHAMBER   OF   DEPUTIES. 


"  In  one  feature  the  French  Senate  and  Chamber  of  Deputies  are 
unlike  our  American  Congress.  With  us,  when  a  member  makes  a 
speech  he  stands  at  or  near  his  own  desk.  The  French  custom  is  for  a 
member  to  go  to  the  tribune,  a  stand  which  is  directly  in  front  of  the 
presiding  officer  and  a  little  lower  down.  To  mount  the  tribune  is 
equivalent  to  '  having  the  floor '  with  us.'' 

"While  this  conversation  was  going;  on,  our  friends  were  strolling- 
through  the  Garden  of  the  Tuileries  (we  forgot  to  mention  that  they  had 
descended  from  their  carriage),  and  were  looking  at  the  groups  of  nurse- 
maids and  children  under  the  trees  and  along  the  gravelled  walks. 
Frank  told  the  driver  to  meet  them  at  the  gate  opposite  the  Eue 
Castiglione,  and  when  they  reached  that  point  they  found  him  waiting 


PLACE  VENDOME   AND   ITS   COLUMN. 


105 


for  them.  They  entered  the  carriage  and  drove  to  the  Place  Vendome, 
■where  Mrs.  Bassett's  attention  was  drawn  to  the  bronze  column  which 
stands  in  the  centre  of  the  square. 

"  I  know  it  by  the  pictures  I've  seen,"  said  she.  "  I  can't  be  mis- 
taken ;  it's  the  Vendome  Column.  But  I  thought  it  was  destroyed  by 
the  Communists  in  1871." 

"  So  it  was,"  said  Fred ;  "  or,  rather,  it  -was  thrown  down  by  them, 
but  the  pieces  were  carefully  preserved.  It  was  erected  in  1S06,  by 
Napoleon  I.,  and  is  an  imitation  of  Trajan's  Column  at  Rome.  Napo- 
leon wanted  to  commemorate  his  victories  over  the  Austrians  and  Rus- 
sians in  1S05,  and  the  bronze  on  the  outside  was  made  by  melting 
down  a  thousand  and  more  cannon,  which  had  been  captured  in  that 
campaign." 

"  It  suggests  a  corkscrew,"  said  Mrs.  Bassett,  "  with  that  spiral  ar- 
rangement running  from  the  bottom  to  the  top.  What  does  it  rep- 
resent 8" 

"  The  pictures  are  scenes  from  the  battles  in  1805,  between  the 
French  army  and  the  troops  to  which  it  was  opposed.    If  the  plates  of 


THE  PALACE   OF   LUXEMBOURG. 


bronze  were  stretched  out  in  a  single  line  they  would  make  a  length  of 
about  nine  hundred  feet.  Many  of  the  figures  on  the  plates  are  por- 
traits.    The  column  is  a  little  more  than  one  hundred  and  forty  feet 


106       THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

high,  and  the  statue  on  the  top  of  the  structure  represents  Napoleon  I. 
in  his  imperial  robes." 

"  How  did  the  Communists  throw  it  down  ¥' 

"  They  cut  through  the  masonry  at  the  bottom  and  then  attached 
ropes  to  the  upper  part  of  the  monument,  after  placing  a  bed  of  straw 
and  soft  earth  along  the  line  where  they  intended  it  to  fall.  This  was 
not  with  any  view  of  saving  the  plates  from  injury,  but  to  do  as  little 
damage  as  possible  to  the  surrounding  buildings  by  the  shock  of  such 
an  immense  mass  striking  the  ground.  When  all  was  ready  the  ropes 
were  pulled  and  the  column  toppled  over." 

"  The  history  of  the  column  is  interesting.  The  statue  of  Napoleon 
was  taken  down  in  1814,  and  a  huge  fleur-de-lis  took  its  place.  In  1830 
Louis  Philippe  caused  a  statue  of  Napoleon  in  a  cocked  hat  to  be  placed 
there,  but  this  was  taken  down  by  Louis  Napoleon  in  1863,  and  the  one 
that  is  now  there  was  put  up.  This  remained  undisturbed  until  1871, 
when  the  Communists  did  as  you  have  seen,  and  the  column  was  re- 
stored in  1875  in  the  same  condition  as  before." 

"  "Wait  a  bit,"  said  Fred,  "  and  I'll  tell  you  a  little  story  about  the 
Communists,  and  how  they  came  to  grief." 

Of  course  all  were  willing  to  hear  the  story,  whereupon  Fred  nar- 
rated the  following  incident  of  the  Commune : 

''When  the  column  was  thrown  clown,  there  was  a  photographer 
on  the  spot  to  take  a  view  of  the  scene.  The  principal  Communists 
grouped  themselves  on  or  near  the  fallen  column,  so  as  to  be  included  in 
the  picture,  and  they  were  evidently  very  proud  of  the  performance. 
After  the  city  had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  regular  Government  a 
copy  of  this  photograph  was  used  to  trace  the  men  who  had  over- 
thrown the  column,  and  it  was  of  great  aid  in  securing  their  capture  and 
conviction.  Each  figure  on  the  photograph  was  enlarged  to  life  size  or 
something  very  near  it,  and  it  was  very  difficult  for  a  man  to  deny  his 
likeness  when  it  was  placed  before  him  on  his  trial.  Several  would 
have  escaped  were  it  not  for  the  telltale  picture." 

"  Not  the  first  time  that  a  photograph  taken  in  a  moment  of  security 
has  led  to  a  man's  conviction,"  Frank  remarked.  "  And  now,"  he  con- 
tinued, turning  to  his  mother.  "  where  would  you  like  to  go  next  V 

"If  we  are  near  the  tomb  of  Napoleon,"  said  Mrs.  Bassett,  "  I  would 
like  to  see  it.  I've  become  specially  interested  in  him  since  we've  seen 
so  many  things  to  remind  us  of  the  empire  he  founded." 

"It  isn't  far  away,"  said  Frank,  "and  we'll  go  to  it  by  way  of  the 
Pont  de  la  Concorde,  which  will  give  us  an  opportunity  to  cross  that 


HOTEL  DES   INVALIDES. 


107 


bridge  and  look  at  the  outside  of  the  building  where  the  Chamber  of 
Deputies  holds  its  sessions.  Then  in  a  few  minutes  we  shall  be  at  the 
Hotel  des  Invalides,  and  there  is  the  tomb  which  you  wish  to  see." 

Mrs.  Bassett  asked  if  the  hotel  was  a  popular  one,  and  patronized  by 
Americans  and  other  foreigners.     Frank  explained  that  it  was  not  a 


yendome  column  IB  1S40.— [From  an  old  priut.] 


hotel  in  the  American  and  English  sense,  but  a  home  or  hospital  for  old 
soldiers ;  it  was  founded  more  than  two  hundred  years  ago  by  Louis 
XIV.,  to  afford  a  home  to  soldiers  who  had  given  long  and  faithful 
service  to  their  country.  Soldiers  who  have  served  thirty  years,  or  who 
have  been  disabled  by  wounds  received  in  battle,  are  entitled  to  be  sup 
ported  at  the  Invalides  for  the  rest  of  their  days. 


108        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

As  onr  friends  left  their  carriage  and  walked  through  the  handsome 
esplanade  in  front  of  the  buildings,  they  took  note  of  the  cannon  and 
statues  with  which  the  grounds  were  adorned.  Mrs.  Bassett's  attention 
was  attracted  towards  several  of  the  old  soldiers  who  were  wandering 
about  the  grounds  or  sitting  on  the  benches  under  the  trees.  Frank 
explained  that  all  the  cannon  in  sight  were  trophies  of  war,  and  that 
every  nation  with  which  France  had  come  in  conflict  in  the  past  two 
hundred  years  was  represented.  There  were  cannon  from  Algeria, 
cannon  from  China,  and  cannon  from  Austria,  Russia,  Prussia,  and 
England,  together  with  other  countries. 

"  But  I'm  sure  there  are  none  from  the  United  States,  as  we  have 
never  been  at  war  with  France,"  said  Mrs.  Bassett,  as  she  paused  before 
a  cannon  which  bore  an  inscription  in  Arabic,  and  was  one  of  the  tro- 
phies of  the  conquest  of  Algeria. 

"  No,  I  don't  think  you  will  find  any  American  cannon  here,"  was 
the  reply.  "  France  and  the  United  States  have  never  been  at  war — at 
any  rate,  not  in  a  war  that  amounted  to  anything — and  are  very  unlikely 
ever  to  be.  The  two  countries  had  a  bond  of  sympathy  from  the  foun- 
dation of  our  Government,  and  you  know  that  France  sent  a  fleet  and 
an  army  to  help  us  in  winning  our  independence.  France  was  at  war 
with  England,  and  consequently  her  sympathies  were  with  us,  and  she  de- 
monstrated them  in  a  very  practical  way.  She  furnished  us  with  arms 
and  ammunition  at  the  very  beginning  of  our  revolution ;  and  after  the 
surrender  of  General  Burgoyne's  army  she  entered  into  a  treaty  of  alli- 
ance, commerce,  and  amity  with  us,  and  sent  a  fleet  and  an  army  to  help 
us  along.  A  medal  commemorative  of  the  alliance  of  the  two  countries 
was  struck  at  the  time,  and  we  will  look  for  it  when  we  are  next  where 
there  is  a  good  collection  of  coins  and  medals." 

The  visitors  were  shown  through  the  building,  which  was  intended 
for  the  accommodation  of  five  thousand  soldiers,  but  has  not  been  fully 
occupied  for  a  long  time.  Only  a  few  hundred  invalides  are  now 
there ;  they  are  well-fed  and  lodged,  and  on  Sundays  they  have  a  parade 
and  review  which  must  be  attended  by  all  who  are  able  to  be  present. 

After  looking  through  the  refectories,  kitchens,  and  other  belongings 
of  the  establishment,  our  friends  visited  the  Artillery  Museum,  which  is 
located  in  the  western  wing  of  the  building. 

Mrs.  Bassett  and  Mary  were  not  specially  interested  in  weapons,  but 
they  accompanied  Frank  and  Fred  in  their  walk  through  the  museum, 
and  saw  a  goodly  number  of  things  that  attracted  their  attention. 
Among  them  were  the  suits  of  armor  worn  by  Marshal  Turenne,  the 


THE   TOMB   OF  NAPOLEON. 


109 


MEDAL    COMMEMORATING    ALLIANCE:    OF  FRANCE    AND    THE   UNITED  STATES. 


Duke  de  Guise,  and  other  men  known  to  fame  and  history,  the  flags 
carried  in  battle  by  French  soldiers,  and  those  captured  from  the  enemy 
in  time  of  war.  Especially  interesting  to  Mary  was  the  white  standard 
of  Joan  of  Arc,  the  banner  under  which  the  Maid  of  Orleans  led  her 
followers  to  the  victories  that  broke  the  English  power. 

Frank  and  Fred  made  a  careful  survey  of  the  suits  of  armor  worn 
by  the  kings  of  France,  from  Francis  I.  to  Louis  XIV.,  and  of  other 
armor  kept  in  the 
same  room.  Then 
they  lingered  oyer 
the  collection  of 
weapons  of  all 
countries  and 
many  ages,  and 
would  have  re- 
mained longer 
were  it  not  for  the 
knowledge  that 
Mrs.  Bassett  and 
Mary  were  grow- 
ing impatient  to  reach  the  tomb  of  Napoleon,  the  great  object  of  interest. 

So  they  went  from  the  museum  to  the  Church  of  the  Invalides, 
pausing  briefly  as  they  passed  the  collection  of  torn  and  weather-beaten 
flags,  and  giving  hasty  glances  at  the  monuments  and  memorial  tablets 
bearing  the  names  of  officers  who  were  distinguished  in  Avar,  and  are 
thus  commemorated  for  their  patriotism  and  bravery. 

Very  soon  they  reached  the  dome  beneath  which  the  remains  of  the 
great  warrior  are  at  rest.  As  every  visitor  to  Paris  is  aware,  the  dome 
is  a  conspicuous  object  from  nearly  all  parts  of  the  city ;  it  rises  to  a 
height  of  340  feet,  and  has  a  diameter  of  86  feet ;  the  dome  is  gilded, 
and  the  gilding  serves  to  make  it  more  noticeable  even  than  its  great 
height,  no  matter  whence  it  is  viewed. 

Under  the  dome  is  the  crypt  of  Napoleon,  20  feet  in  depth  and  36  feet 
in  diameter,  and  with  walls  of  solid  g-ranite,  on  which  there  are  fio-ures 
in  bold  relief.  In  this  crypt  is  the  coffin  or  sarcophagus,  a  single  block 
of  Finland  granite  weighing  nearly  seventy  tons,  and  reminding  Frank 
and  Fred  of  the  huge  coffins  in  the  tombs  of  the  sacred  bulls  in  Egypt. 

Our  friends  spent  a  busy  half-hour  in  their  inspection  of  the  tomb 
of  Napoleon,  and  the  elaborate  works  of  the  sculptor's  art  which  sur- 
rounded it  in  every  direction.     Mrs.  Bassett  asked  when  the  remains  of 


no 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


the  Emperor  were  deposited  in  the  tomb,  whereupon  Frank  spoke  as 
follows  concerning  the  great  warrior: 

"Napoleon  was  defeated  at  "Waterloo  in  181.5,  captured  by  the 
British,  and  sent  to  the  island  of  St.  Helena,  where  he  was  kept  a  pris- 
oner till  his  death  in  1821.     He  was  buried  on  the  island,  and  in  1840 


NAPOLEON    AS    FIRST    CONSUL. 


his  remains  were  brought  to  Paris  with  a  great  deal  of  ceremony,  and 
deposited  in  this  crypt  under  the  dome  of  the  Church  of  the  Invalides." 

"  Who  was  King  of  France  in  1S40  ?"  Mrs.  Bassett  asked. 

"  Louis  Philippe.'' 


WHAT   OVERTHREW  LOUIS   PHILIPPE. 


Ill 


"  Did  he  approve  and  favor  the  transfer  of  Napoleon's  bones  from 
the  island  of  St.  Helena  to  Paris  ?" 

"  I  cannot  say  what  his  private  views  were  upon  the  subject.  The 
French  people  demanded  it  through  their  representatives  in  the  Corps 
Legislatif,  and  the  Government  carried  out  their  wishes.  A  million  peo- 
ple, including  one  hundred  thousand  soldiers,  took  part  in  the  reception 
of  the  remains  and  the  interment  in  the  church,  and  the  royal  family 
and  all  the  high  dignitaries  of  the  kingdom  were  present.  No  relatives 
of  the  dead  Emperor  were  there,  as  they  were  all  in  prison  or  in  exile." 

"  "Well,  it  seems  to  me,"  said  Mrs.  Bassett,  after  a  pause,  "  that  the 
ashes  of  the  dead  Emperor  deprived  the  living  King  of  his  crown." 

"  Yes,"  said  Fred,  "  and  helped  to  place  Louis  Napoleon  on  the 
throne,  and  keep  him  upon  it  until  he  and  the  throne  fell  together  on 
the  day  of  Sedan." 


MEDAL    OF   NAPOLEON,  AS   KING   OK   ITALY. 


112 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

VISIT  TO  THE  BOIS  DE  VINCENNES.  —  A  MILITARY  REVIEW. —  HISTORIC  INTEREST 
OF  THE  CHATEAU  OF  VINCENNES.  —  THE  FRENCH  ARMY ;  ITS  STRENGTH  AND 
COMPOSITION;  THE  ACTIVE  ARMY  AND  THE  VARIOUS  CLASSES  OF  RESERVES; 
EVOLUTIONS  ON  THE  FIELD;  THE  GRAND  MANOEUVRES;  HOW  THEY  ARE 
CONDUCTED;  A  SHAM  BATTLE;  AN  IMPOLITIC  GENERAL,  AND  WHAT  HAP- 
PENED TO  HIM.  — THE  FRENCH  NAVY;  THE  FIRST  ARMORED  SHIPS  OF  WAR, 
AND  WHO  MADE  THEM;  HOW  THE  NAVY  IS  MANNED.  — CEMETERY  OF  PERE 
LA  CHAISE ;  TOMBS  OF  FAMOUS  PEOPLE  ;  STORY  OF  ABELARD  AND  HELOISE ; 
A  WALK  THROUGH  THE  CEMETERY.— THE  GUILLOTINE  AND  ITS  INVENTOR.— 
PRISON  OF  LA  ROQUETTE.  — PLACE  DE  LA  REPUBLIC}  UE. —  MARKET  OF  THE 
TEMPLE.— MARKETS  OF  PARIS  IN  GENERAL. 


rI^IlE  morning  after  the  visits  and  studies  recorded  in  the  previous 
-*-  chapter,  Frank  announced  that  there  was  to  be  a  review  of  troops 
at  Vincennes,  and  said  he  had  made  arrangements  for  a  carriage  to 
take  them  thither  and  get  a  good  view  of  the  scene. 

"  We  shall  have  a  pleasant  drive  through  a 
part  of  Paris  we  have  not  yet  seen,"  said  Frank, 
"  as  the  Bois  de  Vincennes  lies  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  city  from  the  Bois  de  Boulogne. 
There  is  a  very  pretty  forest  at  Vincennes,  and 
an  old  castle  which  was  founded  in  the  twelfth 
century,  and  has  been  a  prison,  porcelain  manu- 
factory, military  school,  arsenal,  and  depot  of 
artillery,  besides  several  other  things." 

"  If  we  are  going  to  a  military  review  we 
sha'n't  have  much  time  to  see  the  castle." 
said  Fred ;  "  and  besides,  I  am  told  the  pub- 
lic is  not  often  admitted." 

"  So  I  understand,"  was  the  reply,  "  and 
it  certainly  will  not  be  worth  our  while  to 
ask  the  authorities  for  special  permission  to 
enter  the  building.  The  chief  historical  in- 
terest attaching  to  the  place  is  that  the  un- 


THE    BUGLE    CALL. 


THE   FRENCH   MILITARY   SYSTEM.  113 

fortunate  Duke  d'Enghien  was  shot  there  by  order  of  Napoleon  I.,  on 
the  suspicion  that  he  was  concerned  in  a  conspiracy  against  the  Emper- 
or. In  the  contest  between  the  regular  troops  and  the  insurgents,  in 
1S71,  the  chateau  was  the  scene  of  the  last  fight  of  consequence." 

Soon  after  breakfast  the  carriage  was  driven  to  the  door  of  the  hotel 
and  our  friends  proceeded  on  their  way.  Mrs.  Bassett  thought  the  drive 
to  Yincennes  was  more  picturesque  than  that  to  the  Bois  de  Boulogne, 
for  the  reason  that  the  localit}^  through  which  they  passed  was  less 
fashionable  than  the  other.  Of  course  it  lacked  the  attractions  of  the 
Place  de  la  Concorde  and  the  Champs-Elysees ;  but,  on  the  other  hand, 
it  afforded  a  better  insight  into  the  ways  of  the  working-people  of  Paris 
than  did  the  more  fashionable  part  of  the  city. 

"As  we  are  going  to  a  military  parade  or  review,"  said  Mary,  ''please 
tell  us  something  about  the  French  Army." 

"  I  was  expecting  that  question,"  replied  Frank,  "and  so  I  looked  up 
the  subject  while  dressing  this  morning.  If  you  want  more  than  I  can 
tell,  I  will  refer  you  to  my  authority,  the  Statesman's  Year  BookP 

Mary  thought  her  brother  would  be  able  to  tell  her  quite  as  much 
as  she  could  remember,  and  she  would  certainly  try  to  remember  it  all. 

"  Well,  then,"  said  Frank,  "  the  military  forces  of  France  are  organ- 
ized ou  the  principle  of  requiring  every  able-bodied  man  to  bear  arms. 
In  its  general  features  the  French  system  is  like  that  of  Germany,  which 
you  learned  about  when  we  were  in  the  dominions  of  the  German 
Emperor,  and  especially  at  Berlin." 

"  Does  every  man  have  to  go  into  the  army,  whether  he  wants  to 
or  not  ?"  Mrs.  Bassett  asked. 

"  That  is  the  requirement  of  the  law,''  was  the  reply ;  "  and  it  says 
distinctly  that  every  Frenchman  between  the  ages  of  twenty  and  forty- 
five  is  liable  to  be  called  up  for  military  duty  either  in  the  active  army 
or  the  reserves,  unless  excused  for  medical  reasons.  Every  Frenchman 
is  not  actually  compelled  to  serve  in  the  army,  but  he  is  liable  to  be 
called  to  service.  The  service  is  divided  into  the  active  army  and  the 
reserves.  When  a  man  has  performed  a  year's  service  in  the  active 
army,  learned  his  duties,  and  is  able  to  read  and  write,  he  may  be  sent 
on  furlough  for  an  indefinite  time ;  he  may  go  home  and  engage  in 
any  business  he  chooses,  but  he  is  enrolled  in  the  reserves  and  may  be 
called  upon  at  any  time.  In  case  of  war  he  is  pretty  sure  to  be  called 
on,  and  in  time  of  peace  it  is  considered  advisable  to  give  the  reserves 
a  certain  amount  of  training  at  regular  intervals,  to  keep  them  reminded 
of  their  duties  and  in  good  physical  condition." 


114 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


-How  many  men  capable  of  bearing  arms  does  France  possess?" 
Fred  inquired,  as  Frank  paused. 

"Counting  all  the  various  classes  of  reserves,-  said  Frank,  along 
with  the  active  army,  there  are  2,500,000  men  ;  and  then  there  is  an- 
other million,  who  have  served  their  time  but  might  be  called  to  de- 


r: 


MARCHING    I.N    THE    KAIN. 


fend  forts  and  camps  in  case  of  war.  The  active  army  contains  nearly 
600.000  men ;  the  actual  figures  are  573.277.  and  this  number  includes 
27,677  officers  of  various  ranks." 

'•How  does  that  compare  with  the  army  of  the  United  States?" 
Marv  asked,  in  her  usual  practical  way. 

''•France  has  a  population  of  about  10,000,000,"  was  the  reply. 
•'  The  strength  of  the  active  army  being  600.000.  it  follows  that  there 
are  six  soldfers  to  every  forty  inhabitants,  or  one  in  seven  under  arms. 


ANNUAL   COST  OF  THE  FRENCH  ARMY. 


115 


Iii  the  United  States  there  are  63,000,000  of  inhabitants  and  a  standing- 
army  of  25,000  men ;  this  gives  us  more  than  2500  inhabitants  for 
every  soldier  in  the  army.*' 

'•  What  an  enormous  difference  I"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Bassett.  "  We  have 
reason  to  be  very  thankful  that  we  can  get  along  with  so  small  a  mili- 
tary force  as  we  do.  The  French  Army  must  cost  the  Government  a 
great  deal  of  money." 

"  Yes,  it  does.  For  the  year 
1S91  the  estimates  for  the  or- 
dinary military  expenses  were 
578,000,000  francs,  or  more 
than  §140,000,000.  This  does 
not  include  the  navy,  which  re- 
quires 846,000,000  more. 

"Every  year  the  expense  of 
the  army  and  navy  is  greater 
than  in  the  preceding  year,  and 
this  in  a  time  of  peace.  If 
France  should  be  at  war  with 
a  European  nation,  the  expense 
would  increase  enormously  over 
the  figures  I  have  given  you." 

''Why  do  the  French  need 
such  a  great  army?  Couldn't 
they  get  along  with  50,000  or 
100,000  men  under  arms  ?" 

"Probably  not,  and  cer- 
tainly they  do  not  think  they 
can.  ■  France  has  dangerous 
neighbors,  or  certainly  one 
dangerous  neighbor — Germany. 
Each  is  compelled  to  have  a 
large  army,  and  keep  it  in 
readiness  for  active  service ;  be- 
cause it  knows  that  a  war  is 
liable  to  occur  at  any  time,  and 
a  pretext  would  be  found  for  it  by  the  stronger  nation  if  the  other 
allowed  itself  to  grow  perceptibly  weaker.  France  and  Germany  have 
been  enemies  for  a  very  long  time ;  each  has  grievances  against  the 
other,  and  would  embrace  the  first  opportunity  to  wipe  them  out. 


„W9nL 
■  W" 


»*gttSKP 


THE    COMPANY    KITCHEN. 


**Sl. 


116        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

"  The  French  Arm}'  is  said  to  be  in  excellent  condition  to  take  the 
Held,"  Frank  continued,  "  but  it  can  only  keep  in  this  condition  by  con- 
stant drill  and  exercise.  If  it  had  been  as  thoroughly  organized  in  1870 
as  it  is  now,  the  nation  would  not  have  been  so  humiliated  as  it  was  by 
Germany.  11'  Louis  Napoleon  had  known  the  actual  condition  of  the 
army,  he  would  not  have  been  in  the  haste  that  he  was  to  declare  war. 
He  was  grossly  deceived  by  his  high  officers,  who  told  him  everything 
was  in  readiness,  down  to  the  last  button  on  the  soldiers'  gaiters." 

"While  this  conversation  took  place  the  carriage  was  rolling  the  party 
in  the  direction  of  Yincennes,  and  in  due  course  of  time  they  arrived  at 
the  field  where  the  manceuvres  were  to  take  place.  They  obtained  a 
good  position  from  which  to  witness  the  movements  of  the  different 
arms  of  the  service ;  and  as  there  were  no  fewer  than  thirty  thousand 
men  on  parade,  the  display  was  an  imposing  one. 

Infantry,  cavalry,  and  artillery  performed  various  evolutions,  which 
were  so  numerous  that  no  one  tried  to  keep  a  record  of  them.  The 
ground  was  an  open  plain  entirely  free  from  trees,  and  there  was  plenty 
of  space  for  the  troops  to  move  in. 

Mrs.  Bassett  said  that  the  grandest  of  all  the  displays  was  when  the 
infantry,  and  afterwards  the  cavalry,  drawn  up  in  a  long  line,  charged 
directly  towards  the  fence  that  separated  them  from  the  spectators. 
On  they  came  at  full  speed  straight  towards  the  fence.  It  seemed  as 
though  they  would  pass  it  and  sweep  down  everything  before  them ; 
but  just  at  the  critical  moment  the  officers  gave  the  proper  orders,  and 
the  line  came  to  a  halt  only  a  few  yards  from  the  fence,  and  in 
almost  as  perfect  array  as  when  it  started.  She  thought  they  must 
have  practised  the  movement  for  a  long  time  to  attain  such  perfection. 

"  Undoubtedly  they  have,"  said  Frank.  "  It  has  taken  months  of 
drill  to  accomplish  this  movement  or  any  other  that  you  have  wit- 
nessed to-day.  The  perfection  of  army  discipline  is  to  convert  thousands 
of  men  into  as  many  parts  of  a  machine — the  more  perfect  the  ma- 
chine, the  more  effective  it  is  as  an  army. 

"A  part  of  the  drilling  of  an  army  consists  in  having  sham  cam- 
paigns and  battles.  The  force  is  divided  into  two  nearly  equal  parts, 
and  each  endeavors  to  capture  the  other.  No  blood  is  shed,  but  a  great 
deal  of  powder  is  expended,  and  the  movements  of  the  different  bodies 
opposed  to  each  other  are  exactly  like  those  of  actual  warfare,  with  the 
single  exception  (and  a  very  important  one  it  is)  that  life  and  limb  are 
not  in  jeopardy.  Sometimes  a  manoeuvre  lasts  for  several  days,  and  the 
abilities  of  officers  and  soldiers  are  taxed  to  their  utmost. 


A  MTMIC  CAMPAIGN. 


117 


ESSi 


"  It  is  no  holiday       gs£ 
sport,"  he  continued, 
"  but    actual    work. 
Rain    or    shine,  the 
march  is  kept  up,  and  the  sol- 
diers carry  their  full  accoutre-        '-  7& 
ments,  exactly  as  though  they 
were    on    a    campaign    against 

THK    SCOUT. 

their  traditional   enemy  —  t-rer- 
manv.     The  camps  are  formed 

at  night  in  the  places  least  exposed  to  the  foe ,  defences  are  thrown  up 
here  and  there,  and  scouts  are  kept  in  advance  to  discover  the  enemy's 
position  and  report  it  to  the  commanding  officers;  stragglers  are  capt- 
ured and  brought  in  as  prisoners  of  war,  and  are  not  allowed  to  rejoin 
their  commands  until  they  can  do  so  without  giving  information  of 
any  consequence.  Hospitals  are  established,  not  onby  for  imaginary 
wounds,  but  for  real  cases  of  illness  that  are  sure  to  occur  while  an 
army  is  on  the  march.  The  Red  Cross  men  are  trained  in  the  work 
of  removing  the  wounded  from  the  field,  wounds  are  dressed,  and  some- 
times there  are  real  wounds,  from  accidental  causes  or  in  consequence  of 
quarrels  among  the  men,  though  the  latter  are  rare,  owing  to  the  severe 
discipline  which  punishes  both  parties  to  a  quarrel,  in  order  to  make 
sure  of  punishing  the  right  one,  and  discouraging  him  for  the  future. 


118        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IX  CENTRAL  EUROPE 

"  In  the  villages  the  troops  are  quartered  upon  the  inhabitants,  the 
capacity  of  each  house  being  ascertained  beforehand.  The  proper  num- 
ber of  men  for  each  house  is  sent  there  with  a  billet  «A  logement,  or 
ticket  for  lodgings,  and  in  this  way  the  soldiers  are  comfortably  located 
for  the  night,  though  sometimes  closely  crowded." 

"  It  must  be  a  heavy  burden  upon  the  inhabitants,  and  a  great  dis- 
turbance to  them  to  have  their  houses  rilled  with  soldiers."  said  Mrs. 
Bassett,  as  Frank  paused  in  his  story. 

"  Sometimes  it  is,"  he  answered  ;  "  but  in  most  cases  the  soldiers  are 
welcome,  and  are  treated  hospitably  by  the  people.  Bear  in  mind  that, 
in  consequence  of  the  universal  requirement  of  the  service,  nearly  every 
family  has  one  or  more  of  its  members  in  the  army,  and  the  people  treat 
those  who  are  quartered  upon  them  as  they  hope  their  own  kith  and 
kin  are  treated  wherever  they  may  be. 

"  The  soldiers  for  whom  no  quarters  can  be  obtained  in  a  village  go 
into  camp  at  convenient  spots,  either  in  the  public  square  or  in  the  open 
ground  outside  the  village,  and  make  themselves  as  comfortable  as  pos- 
sible. Rations  are  distributed,  and  the  cooking  for  the  camps  is  done 
over  an  open  fire,  which  is  sometimes  a  good  deal  disturbed  by  the  fall- 
ing rain.  In  the  evening  the  guards  are  set,  and  there  is  a  patrol  Avhose 
duty  it  is  to  gather  in  every  straggler  after  a  certain  hour.  Bright  and 
early  in  the  morning  the  camp  is  all  alive  with  movement,  and  the 
march  is  begun  as  soon  as  each  man  has  swallowed  a  cup  of  coffee  and 
eaten  a  bit  of  bread  for  his  early  breakfast." 

"  I  wonder  how  thev  manage  to  make  bread  when  thev  are  marching 
in  the  way  you  describe,"  said  Mary.  "  Berhaps  they  have  it  sent  to 
them  from  a  central  station  like  this  great  one  at  Yincennes." 

"  That  is  sometimes  the  case,"  Frank  explained ;  "  but  usually  the 
bread  is  prepared  on  the  march.  It  is  baked  in  iron  ovens,  mounted  on 
wheels  like  large  wagons,  and  the  baking  can  go  on  while  the  wagon  is 
going  on.  too.  The  cooking  arrangements  of  the  French  armv  are  very 
complete ;  their  commissariat  is  a  distinct  organization,  with  special  offi- 
cers, and  when  an  army  is  in  the  field  its  affairs  must  be  very  badly 
managed  if  it  is  not  fed  fairly  well.  A  great  deal  of  study  has  been  de- 
voted to  the  work  of  feeding  soldiers  in  the  field :  every  general  of  ex- 
perience recognizes  the  force  of  the  old  saying  that  an  army  marches 
on  its  stomach,  and  if  the  stomach  is  not  cared  for  the  march  will  come 
to  an  end  very  quickly  and  disastrously." 

Frank  told  of  other  matters  in  connection  with  the  mimic  war  of  the 
annual  manoeuvres,  but  Ave  have  space  only  for  what  has  been  recorded. 


COOKING    WHILE   ON   THE   MARCH. 


119 


Fred  related  a  little  anecdote  about  a  mimic  campaign — he  believed  it 
was  in  Austria  or  Russia — where  the  Emperor  commanded  in  person  on 
one  side,  and  a  general  of  high  rank  was  on  the  other.  The  general  was 
more  zealous  than  discreet,  as  he  managed  to  capture  the  Emperor  and 
his  entire  staff  while  they  were  breakfasting  at  a  farm-house  and  had 
neglected  to  surround  themselves  with  an  appropriate  guard.  The  Em- 
peror commended  the  general  for  the  skill  he  had  displayed,  but  the 
next  day  deprived  him  of  his  command,  without  assigning  any  reason 
for  so  doing,  and  never  afterwards  gave  him  any  position  of  consequence. 
"  He  ought  to  have  known  better,"  said  Mary.    "  Certainly  I  wouldn't 

have  done  as  he  did  if  I  had  been  in  his  place.    When  I  was  at  Mrs. *s 

school,  one  of  the  teachers  was  very  fond  of  playing  checkers  with  the 
older  girls ;  she  couldn't  play  very  well,  but  it  was  always  considered 
the  proper  thing  to  allow  her  to  win,  as  it  made  her  much  more  amiable." 


THE    "BJLLKT    DK    LOGEMENT. 


120 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


"Human  nature  is  the  same  the  world  over,"  said  Frank.  And  with 
this  trite  saving  the  discussion   of  army  movements  in   France    and 

other   countries   was    brought 
to  an  end. 

From  the  army  the  atten- 
tion of  our  friends  was  natu- 
rally turned  to  the  navy,  and 
on  this  subject  Fred  has  kindly 
supplied  the  following  notes: 
'•  The    navy    of  France    is 
one  of  the  great  navies  of  the 
world,  as  it  contains  a  goodly 
number    of   large    ships   with 
thick    armor,    and    mounting 
guns  of  the  largest  calibre.    It 
has  nearly  forty  sea-going  ar- 
mored ships  —  some   of  steel, 
others  of  iron  and  steel,  and 
others  of  iron  and  wood ;  and 
in    addition    to    these    it    has 
twenty  armored  ships  for  coast 
defence,  and  a  hundred  and  more 
torpedo-boats   of  different   sizes 
and  kinds.    Altogether  there  are  four 
hundred  and  thirty-two  vessels  in  the 
French  navy,  and  if  they  were  stretch- 
ed out  in   a   single   line  they  would 
reach  a  very  long  distance. 

"You    may    not    be    aware    that 

France  was  the  first  country  in  the 

world  to  build  iron-clad  ships,  but  that 

is  the  case.     She  had  some  constructed 

during  the  Crimean  War,  and  sent  them  against  the  Russian  forts  near 

St.  Petersburg;  and  though  they  didn't  capture  the  forts,  they  showed 

that  they  were  much  better  than  ships  built  entirely  of  wood." 

Frank  interrupted  the  reading  of  Fred's  story  to  make  a  correction, 
to  the  effect  that  an  iron-clad  ship  was  begun  in  the  United  States  in 
1854.  and  that  the  proposals  for  its  construction  were  laid  before 
Congress  in  1S12,  which  was  a  long  time  before  the  beginning  of  the 
Crimean  War. 


THE    PATROL 


THK    ATTACK. 


122        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

"When  you  come  to  that,"  said  Fred,  "  we  will  go  back  to  the  Nor- 
mans, who  put  belts  of  iron  around  their  lighting  boats  as  early  as  the 
twelfth  century.  The  Crusaders  protected  their  boats  in  the  same  way, 
and  in  the  fourteenth  and  fifteenth  centuries  Pedro  of  Aragon  and  An- 
drea Doria  protected  their  boats  with  rawhide  or  leather,  or  with  bul- 
warks composed  of  cordage,  old  sails,  and  beams  of  wood.  But  I  adhere 
to  what  I  said,  that  the  French  were  the  first  to  build  regular  ships  of 
war  with  armor-plating,  and  they  launched  no  fewer  than  five  of  them 
in  the  spring  of  1S55.  In  1S5S  they  built  La  Gloire,  a  wooden  frigate, 
two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  long,  and  having  her  sides  plated  with  iron 
four  and  a  half  inches  thick.  That  vessel  was  the  pioneer  of  the 
armor  -  plated  frigates  and  other  great  armored  and  belted  ships  of 
the  present  time." 

"  You  seem  to  know  all  about  your  subject,"  said  Frank,  "  and  I 
wont  interrupt  you  again — unless  I  see  a  good  chance.'' 

"  That's  all  right,"  retorted  Fred,  "  and  I  don't  want  you  to  miss  a 
single  chance  to  throw  more  light  on  the  subject." 

Then  he  continued  his  comments  on  the  French  navy. 

"  The  four-and-a-half-inch  plating  of  La  Gloire  would  be  of  little 
account  with  the  French  war-ships  of  to-day.  One  of  them  has  a  steel 
plating  twenty-two  inches  thick,  and  there  are  six  ships  each  with  plat- 
ing more  than  eighteen  inches  thick.  Then  in  the  smaller  ships  there 
are  other  thicknesses  of  plating  —  sixteen,  fourteen,  twelve,  ten,  nine, 
and  eight  inches,  and  in  no  case  do  they  call  a  vessel  armored  if  it  has 
less  than  eight  inches  of  plating.  The  vessels  that  made  such  a  sensa- 
tion thirty  years  ago  have  been  broken  up  as  of  no  further  use.'' 

"  Such  a  large  number  of  ships  must  require  a  great  number  of  men 
to  manage  them,"  Mrs.  Bassett  remarked,  as  Fred  paused  to  take  breath. 

"  Of  course  they  do,"  was  the  reply,  "  and  the  men  for  the  navy  are 
secured  by  conscription  in  the  same  way  as  those  for  the  army,  though 
there  are  some  voluntary  enlistments.  Altogether,  including  officers, 
engineers,  sailors,  and  persons  connected  with  the  service  in  one  way  or 
another,  the  French  navy  requires  an  equipment  of  forty  thousand  men. 
Nearly  two  thousand  of  these  are  officers  of  the  various  grades,  from 
cadets  and  ensigns  up  to  admirals,  and  there  are  many  more  cadets  and 
ensigns  than  admirals,  as  in  all  navies." 

"  Didn't  you  tell  me  that  the  commanders  of  some  of  the  steamships 
of  the  French  mail  line  between  Xew  York  and  Havre  belong  to  the 
navy  of  the  French  republic  ?" 

"  1  think  I  did,  for  such  is  the  case.     The  Government  gives  leave 


THE  '"  devastation. " — [French  armored  ship  of  the  first  class.] 


124        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

of  absence  in  time  of  peace  to  any  officer  who  wishes  to  enter  the  serv- 
ice of"  one  of  the  steamship  companies  under  the  French  flag.  lie  re- 
ceives one-half  of  the  full  pay  of  his  grade  in  the  naval  service,  and  in 
addition  to  this  he  has  the  salary  which  is  paid  by  the  steamship  com- 
pany. Furthermore,  he  is  in  active  employment  on  the  sea.  and  all  am- 
bitious officers  prefer  to  enter  the  service  of  the  mercantile  companies 
rather  than  lie  idle,  though  they  may  be  under  the  full  pay  of  their 
rank.  Of  course  they  are  liable  to  be  recalled  at  any  time  in  case  of 
war,  when  they  would  be  needed  in  the  naval  service  again." 

"  How  much  does  the  navy  cost  the  country  every  year  V 

"  According  to  the  latest  published  figures,  the  estimates  for  a  year 
are  two  hundred  and  thirty  millions  of  francs,  or  forty-six  mdlions  of 
dollars.  The  total  value  of  the  vessels  in  the  French  Navy  was  esti- 
mated in  the  same  publication  at  one  hundred  millions  of  dollars.  Add 
the  forty-six  millions  for  the  navy  to  the  one  hundred  and  forty  millions 
for  the  army,  and  we  see  what  it  costs  France  every  year  to  keep  '  in 
fighting  trim,'  as  the  phrase  is.  It  is  a  high  price,  but  it  must  be  paid, 
or  the  country  would  quickly  be  in  the  hands  of  its  traditional  enemy. 
Germany,  which  would  certainly  pounce  upon  her." 

On  the  return  from  Yincennes  to  the  city  Frank  suggested  that  they 
had  time  to  visit  the  famous  cemetery  of  Paris  known  as  Pere  la  Chaise. 
•■  It  will  not  be  much  out  of  our  way."  said  he.  "  and  I  presume  we  will 
not  care  to  remain  there  long." 

Mary  said  she  wanted  to  see  the  graves  of  Abelard  and  Heloise 
and  some  others  that  she  had  read  or  heard  of.  but  neither  she  nor 
her  mother  desired  to  pay  anything  more  than  a  hasty  visit  to  the 
place,  as  they  were  not  fond  of  cemeteries. 

The  mention  of  the  cemetery  caused  Mrs.  Bassett  to  remark  upon 
the  custom  in  France  of  every  man  on  the  street  raising  his  hat  when  a 
funeral  passes  by.  She  thought  it  would  be  an  excellent  one  to  intro- 
duce into  America,  but  feared  that  some  of  her  countrymen  might  ob- 
ject to  its  adoption  because  it  would  take  an  instant  or  so  of  their  valu- 
able time.  The  rest  of  the  party  were  of  the  same  opinion.  Frank  said 
the  custom  had  been  adopted  by  a  good  many  Americans  who  had  lived 
in  France,  but  of  course  they  were  very  few  in  number  when  compared 
with  the  whole  population  of  the  United  States. 

As  they  approached  the  cemetery  Frank  pointed  out  two  prisons  on 
the  opposite  sides  of  the  street.  "  The  one  on  the  right,"  said  he.  "  is 
the  Prison  de  la  Eoquette :  that  on  the  left  is  the  Prison  des  Jeunes 
Detenus  and  not  so  well  known  as  the  other." 


THE  GUILLOTINE  AND   ITS  INVENTOR. 


125 


"  Isn't  the  Prison  de  la  Roquette  the  place,"  Mary  asked,  "  where 
they  put  criminals  to  death  ?" 

"  Yes,"  replied  Frank ;  "  and  do  you  not  see  that  little  square  in 
the  pavement  made  by  some  stones  somewhat  higher  than  the  rest  ?" 

"I  see  them,"  said  Mary,  as  she  looked  in  the  direction  indicated 
by  her  brother  as  he  pointed  wTith  his  finger. 

"  "Well,  that  is  the  spot  where  the  guillo- 
tine is  placed  for  the  decapitation  of  murder- 
ers and  other  high  criminals  who  must  suffer 
the  extreme  penalty  of  the  law." 

"The  guillotine  is  the  machine  that  they 
cut  off  people's  heads  with,  I  suppose,"  Mrs. 
Bassett  remarked. 

"  Yes,"  replied  Frank,  "  and  it  bears  the 
name  of  its  inventor,  or,  rather,  its  improver, 
who  is  thus  degraded  by  the  work 
of  his  brain.     Watt  did  not  attach 


wmmammmBgm 


FRENCH    IKON-CLAP    SHIP    IN    DOCK. 


his  name  to  the  steam-engine ;  the  name  of  Morse  has  no  connection 
with  the  electric  telegraph,  and  the  same  and  more  may  be  said  of 


126       THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

other  inventors  who  have  conferred  great  benefits  upon  the  world,  and 
even  their  names  have  been  forgotten  ;  but  Dr.  Guillotin  lives  in  his- 
tory, and  his  name  is  used  to  designate  his  means  of  reducing  the  human 
race  by  decapitation." 

"Haven't  I  read  somewhere  that  Dr.  Guillotin  was  himself  behead- 
ed on  one  of  his  own  machines  i"  Mary  inquired. 

"  Quite  likely  you  have  read  so,  as  it  has  been  repeatedly  stated,  but 
such  was  not  the  case.  He  died  peacefully  in  his  bed  in  1814.  He  sug- 
gested the  use  of  the  machine  during  the  revolution  of  ITS!),  and  made 
some  improvements  upon  an  apparatus  for  decapitation  that  was  already 
in  use.  He  was  an  improver  rather  than  an  inventor,  and  as  such  he 
ought  to  be  known  to  the  world." 

.lust  beyond  the  prison  our  friends  passed  several  establishments  for 
the  sale  of  monuments,  wreaths,  and  flowers,  and  they  knew  by  these 
signs  that  they  were  approaching  the  cemetery.  Mrs.  Bassett  asked  the 
meaning  of  La  Chaise,  the  name  of  the  famous  burial-place. 

"  It  belonged  formerly  to  Pere  la  Chaise,  the  confessor  of  the  King, 
Louis  XVI.,"  said  Frank,  "  and  he  had  a  country-house  on  the  ground 
now  occupied  by  the  cemetery.  It  was  bought  by  the  city  for  its  pres- 
ent use  early  in  this  century,  and  latterly  has  been  extended  by  other 
purchases.  It  covers  an  area  of  more  than  one  hundred  acres,  and  con- 
tains twenty  thousand  monuments.  Many  of  these  monuments  are 
above  the  graves  of  persons  known  to  fame,  and  as  we  walk  about  we 
shall  come  upon  man}r  names  that  we  have  often  read  in  books  or  news- 
papers of  present  or  past  days. 

'"The  place  has  not  always  been  as  peaceful  as  we  find  it  to-day," 
Frank  continued.  "  In  1811:  there  was  a  battle  in  the  cemetery  between 
French  and  Russian  troops,  in  which  the  French  were  defeated,  and  in 
1871  the  Communists  made  a  stand  here  against  the  regular  troops  that 
were  advancing  upon  them.  There  are  certain  days  in  the  year  when 
large  numbers  of  people  come  to  visit  the  cemetery.  The  most  noted  of 
these  is  the  Jour  des  Morts,  on  November  2d,  when  there  are  probably 
a  hundred  thousand  people  in  the  cemetery  during  the  course  of  the 
dajT  to  honor  their  dead  friends." 

They  left  the  carriage  at  the  entrance  of  the  cemetery  and  took  a 
leisurely  walk  among  the  tombs  that  thickly  cover  the  ground.  To  fa- 
cilitate their  visit  a  guide  was  secured  at  the  gate  to  accompany  them 
on  their  round,  and  he  led  them  quite  expeditiously.  Frank  mentioned 
the  desire  of  Mary  to  see  the  tomb  of  Abelard  and  Heloise.  and  they 
quickly  reached  it,  as  it  is  not  far  from  the  entrance.     It  is  on  the  first 


ABELARD    AND   HELOISE. 


127 


lateral  walk  to  the  right,  and  consists  of  a  Gothic  canopy  with  a  sar- 
cophagus beneath  it,  on  which  are  recumbent  figures  of  the  lovers  whose 
fame  has  lived  through  seven  centuries. 

As  they  stood  in  front  of  the  tomb  Fred  asked  Mary  to  tell  him 
about  Abelard  and  Heloise,  and  why  they  were  famous. 

';  I  don't  know  much  about  them,"  was  the  reply,  "  but  believe  Abe- 
lard was  a  great  scholar  aud  theologian,  who  got  into  trouble  with  the 
religious  authorities  of  his  time  on  account  of  his  writings  and  lectures. 
He  fell  in  love  with  Heloise,  the  daughter  of  a  canon  of  the  Church,  and 
Heloise  loved  him  in  return.  They  ran  away  and  were  married  ;  after- 
wards he  became  a  monk,  and  she  entered  a  nunnery ;  she  lived  twenty 


FCNERAL    PROCESSION    IX    PARIS. 


years  after  his  death,  and  was  buried  at  his  side,  and  they  rested  peace- 
fully till  their  ashes  were  brought  to  Pere  la  Chaise  and  placed  in  one 
gi'ave.  And  that  is  all  I  know  about  the  romantic  story  of  Abelard  and 
Heloise,  the  famous  lovers." 

"And  that  is  a  great  deal  more  than  most  people  know,"  said  Fred. 
"The  popular  estimation  of  this  couple  and  reverence  for  their  memory 


12S 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  ElTJOl'E. 


'A 


is  based  entirely  on  the  love-story  of  their  lives,  but  the  religious  world 
is  much  more  interested  in  their  writings,  particularly  those  of  Abelard, 
which  exerted  a  great  influence  upon  the  period  in  which  he  lived.    Thev 
have  been  published  several  times,  and  show  that  Abelard  was  the  Mar- 
tin   Luther   of  his 
day  and  the  leader 
in  the  doctrine  of 
gases*,  rationalism.     He 

was  imprisoned  for 
heresy,  and  but  for 
the  influence  of 
powerful  friends 
would  have  ended 
his  days  in  captiv- 
ity." 

By  this  time 
they  were  ready  to 
resume  their  walk, 
which  we  will  not 
follow  in  its  de- 
tails. Mrs.  Bassett 
was  deeply  im- 
pressed with  the 
manner  in  which 
the  chapels  and 
tombs  were  crowd- 
ed closely  together, 
and  said  it  was  a  pity  that  space  in  the  cemetery  was  so  very  limited. 
At  every  few  steps  they  stopped  to  look  at  the  monuments  of  men 
known  to  fame  or  connected  in  some  way  with  the  history  of  France. 
Now  it  was  the  memorial  to  Nelaton,  the  famous  surgeon  of  the  time  of 
the  second  empire ;  now  that  of  Casimir  Perier.  an  orator  of  renown 
and  minister  of  Louis  Philippe ;  and  not  far  away  was  the  tomb  of  Per- 
rin.  marshal  under  Napoleon  I.  Mary  called  attention  to  the  tomb  of 
Chopin,  the  composer  of  music,  and  Frank  at  the  same  time  indicated 
the  burial-place  of  Bettini,  another  composer. 

Here  was  the  grave  of  Champollion,  the  Egyptologist,  and  near  it  the 
resting-place  of  Kellermann,  Duke  of  Valmy  and  Marshal  of  France, 
whose  cavalry  was  the  strong  arm  of  the  armies  of  the  great  Napoleon. 
Not  far  away  is  the  tomb  of  the  Thiers  family,  with  the  grave  of  the 


EUGENE    SCRIBE. 


CELEBRITIES  IN   PERE   LA   CHAISE.  129 

famous  statesman  of  France ;  here  rests  Scribe  the  dramatist,  and  beyond 
him  Beranger  the  poet,  and  Massena,  another  marshal  of  the  first  em- 
pire. The  list  can  be  extended  to  great  length,  and  only  including 
names  known  to  fame.  Hours  may  be  devoted  to  Pere  la  Chaise 
and  the  illustrious  personages  who  found  their  resting-place  within  its 
walls  and  beneath  its  tombs. 

As  they  came  out  of  the  cemetery  and  drove  down  the  Rue  de 
la  Roquette,  Mrs.  Bassett  asked  how  many  cemeteries  there  are  in 
Paris  or  near  it, 

"There  are  twenty -two  in  all,"  was  the  reply,  ''the  most  important 
being  Pere  la  Chaise,  Montparnasse,  and  Montmartre ;  but  the  one  we 
have  just  seen  is  the  most  famous,  as  you  already  know.  A  burial-place 
in  amr  of  the  cemeteries  costs  not  less  than  seven  hundred  francs,  and 
even  this  sum  entitles  the  purchaser  to  a  sufficient  area  for  a  grave,  and 
no  more.  All  funerals  in  the  Department  of  the  Seine,  to  which  Paris 
belongs,  are  conducted  by  an  association,  or  company,  and  they  have  a 
fixed  rate  of  charges  from  twelve  and  a  half  francs  up  to  seven  thou- 
sand two  hundred  francs.  There  are  from  eighty  to  one  hundred  deaths 
daily  in  Paris,  and  sometimes  the  latter  number  is  exceeded  consid- 
erably, especially  in  times  of  epidemics." 

From  the  Rue  de  la  Roquette  the  carriage  turned  into  the  Boulevard 
Voltaire,  and  our  Mends  soon  found  themselves  in  the  handsome  Place 
de  la  Republique,  which  appears  on  former  maps  of  Paris  as  the  Place 
du  Chateau  d'Eau.  The  attention  of  the  strangers  was  drawn  to  the 
bronze  statue  of  the  republic,  in  the  centre  of  the  square.  It  is  a  fine 
work  of  art,  and  the  reader  will  form  an  idea  of  its  size  by  knowing  that 
its  height  from  the  ground  to  the  highest  point  of  the  top  is  thirty-two 
feet.  Statues  of  "  Liberty,"  "  Equality,"  and  "  Fraternity  "  are  the  prin- 
cipal figures,  and  there  are  twelve  bass-reliefs  in  bronze,  representing  as 
many  epochs  in  the  history  of  the  republic,  from  the  capture  of  the 
Bastile  in  1TS9  to  the  overthrow  of  the  empire  in  1S71. 

"  We  are  not  far  from  the  site  of  the  old  temple,"  said  Frank,  "  which 
has  recently  been  devoted  to  the  purposes  of  a  market.  In  the  thirteenth 
century  the  Knights  Templars  had  a  stronghold  there,  but  they  were 
suppressed  and  driven  out,  and  the  Government  took  possession  of  the 
place  and  used  the  building  as  a  treasury  and  storehouse.  In  the  revolu- 
tion of  1789  it  was  the  prison  of  the  royal  family,  and  from  there  the 
King  and  others  were  led  to  their  death.  On  account  of  its  notoriety  it 
was  removed  a  few  years  after  the  revolution  and  converted  into  a 
market,  which  bore  the  name  of  The  Temple,  as  the  present  one  does." 


130 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


"  That  isn't  the  principal  market  of  Paris,  is  it  I"  queried  Mrs.  Bassett. 

"  Not  by  any  means,"  Frank  answered.  "  The  great  market  is  called 
Les  Halles  Centrales,  or  usually  Les  Halles,  and  is  well  worth  seeing.  It 
is  too  late  now,  and,  besides,  the  evening  isn't  a  good  time  to  visit  the 
market.  We'll  go  there  in  the  morning  some  day,  as  early  as  we  can 
o-et  away  from  the  hotel,  and  I  think  you  will  find  it  an  interesting 
place  for  an  hour  or  two,  if  no  longer." 

'•  I'm  sure  I  shall,"  was  the  reply  ;  "  as  I  always  like  to  look  through 
a  market.  You  can  learn  more  from  the  market  of  a  city  than  from  an- 
other one  thing  in  it,  and  sometimes  more  than  from  all  other  things  put 
together ;  that  is  my  experience." 

"We  fully  indorse  Mrs.  Bassett's  view  on  this  point,  and  so,  we  are 
confident,  will  every  intelligent  reader  of  this  volume. 


the  temple- — [From  an  old  print.] 


THE   GREAT   MARKET   OF  PARIS. 


131 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

LES  HALLES  CENTRALES,  THE  GREAT  MARKET  OF  PARIS;  ITS  EXTENT  AXD  CHAR. 
ACTER;  HOW  IT  IS  MANAGED;  WHAT  THE  VISITORS  SAW.— DAILY  CONSUMP- 
TION OF  FOOD.— THE  OCTROI;  ITS  ORIGIX  AXD  USES.— THE  COMEDIE  FRANCAISE. 
—BUYING  TICKETS.— ANTIQUITY  OF  THE  THEATRE.— A  REMINISCENCE  OF  LOUIS 
XIV.—  ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  COMPANY.— CURIOUS  CUSTOMS.— "THE  TRIPLE 
KNOCK."— A  VIEW  OF  THE  GREEXROOM  AND  FOYER.— THE  GOVERNMENT  SUB- 
SIDY.—"HERNANI."— AN  AMERICAN'S  MISTAKE.  — GENERAL  MANAGEMENT  OF 
THE  THEATRE.  —  FAMOUS  FRENCH  COMEDIANS. —  THE  NEW  OPERA-HOUSE; 
MARY'S  ACCOUNT  OF  WHAT  THEY  SAW  THERE.— A  WATER  CIRCUS. 

AT  breakfast  the  next  morning  Mrs.  Bassett  referred  to  the  talk  about 
-   markets  and  market-places,  and  asked  if  they  could  visit  the  Halles 
Centrales  on  their  excursion  for  the  day. 


wmm 


TICKET-OFFICE    OF    THE    COMEDIE    FRANCJAISE, 


"  I  think  we  will  see  the  great  market  at  once,"  said  Frank.  "  It  is  a 
pleasant  morning,  and  after  breakfast  we  will  drive  directly  to  the 
Halles  and  see  what  is  to  be  seen  there." 

In  accordance  with  this  arrangement,  our  friends  found  themselves 
in  front  of  the  great  pavilion  of  iron  and  zinc  from  which  the  central 


132        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

part  of  Paris  draws  the  principal  portion  of  its  daily  subsistence.  Mrs. 
Bassett  was  somewhat  surprised  at  the  vastness  of  the  establishment, 
which  covers  an  area  of  twenly-two  acres,  and  all  practically  under  a 
single  roof.  She  did  not  remember  to  have  seen  anywhere  a  market 
that  approached  in  vastness  the  great  central  one  of  Paris. 

"You  observe,"  said  Fred,  "that  there  are  several  pavilions,  all 
joined  to  each  other.  There  are  ten  of  these  pavilions,  with  covered 
streets  between  them,  and  these  streets  are  intersected  by  a  wide  avenue, 
or  boulevard,  so  that  wagons  may  go  all  through  the  market  and  be 
sheltered  from  the  rain,  if  any  happens  to  be  falling." 

"  I  wonder  how  many  stalls  there  are  in  the  market,"  said  Mary. 
"  It  seems  to  me  there  must  be  a  great  many." 

"  Each  of  the  pavilions  contains  250  stalls,  so  that  there  are  2500 
stalls  in  all.  This  is  for  the  retail  department,  which  does  not  include 
the  wholesale  section,  on  the  side  opposite  to  where  we  now  are." 

They  strolled  for  a  while  among  the  stalls,  stopping  now  and  then 
to  chat  with  some  of  the  persons  in  charge  of  the  place,  and  observing 
everywhere  the  order  and  cleanliness  for  which  the  French  markets  are 
famous.  Meat,  eggs,  vegetables,  poultry,  fish,  and  all  other  kinds  of 
edibles  for  the  dinner- table  were  there  in  abundance,  and  Mrs.  Bassett 
expressed  a  desire  to  know  the  extent  of  the  traffic  in  articles  of  food 
in  the  /miles  in  a  single  day. 

Frank  was  statistical,  and  said  that  the  daily  expenditure  in  Paris 
for  bread,  meat,  and  wine  amounted  to  about  3,000,000  francs,  or 
8600,000.  "  There  are  about  2,275,000  inhabitants  in  Paris,"  said  he, 
"and  the  estimate  is  that  each  one  consumes  yearly  on  the  average  175 
pounds  of  meat,  360  pounds  of  bread,  and  196  quarts  of  wine.  This 
market  handles  onl^y  a  part  of  the  food  consumed  in  the  city,  as  there 
are  several  other  holies,  and  a  good  many  wholesale  dealers  and  large 
consumers  import  their  provisions  directly  to  their  establishments  and 
are  independent  of  the  markets." 

Frank  spoke  to  one  of  the  custodians  of  the  place,  and  the  man 
called  an  assistant  who  accompanied  the  party  to  the  cellars  where  the 
official  inspection  takes  place.  On  the  way  Frank  explained  to  his 
mother  that  the  entire  space  under  the  market  was  honey-combed  with 
cellars,  some  for  storage  and  others  for  inspection. 

The  authorities  are  careful  to  see  that  nothing  which  is  unfit  for 
human  food  shall  be  sold  in  the  markets.  Consequently,  everything 
must  be  examined  by  experts,  and  these  men  do  their  work  thoroughly. 
Mrs.  Bassett  was  particularly  interested  in  the  examination  of  eggs, 


EGG   EXPERTS  AT  WORK. 


133 


which  was  done  with  amazing  rapidity.  Everybody  knows  about  hold- 
ing an  egg  up  to  the  light  to  determine  its  quality,  but  the  most  of  us 
would  hardly  be  able  to  examine  eggs  in  this  way  with  any  sort  of 
rapidity.  The  egg  experts  at  the  holies  will  examine  the  contents  of  a 
large  basket,  passing  each  egg  in  front  of  a  burning  gas-jet,  in  little 


EXTERIOR    OF    THE    COMEDIE    FRAN9AISE. 


more  than  the  time  it  takes  to  mention  the  feat.  Mary  thought  that 
the  man  they  looked  at  would  examine  a  hundred  eggs  and  settle  de- 
cisively upon  their  character  in  the  time  that  it  would  take  her  to  dis- 
pose of  a  single  one. 

"  They  handle  nearly  4,000,000  dozens  of  eggs  every  j'ear,"  said 
Frank,  "and  other  things  in  proportion.  Here  are  the  figures  for  the 
yearly  business  of  the  holies :  Fish,  65,000,000  pounds ;  meat,  66,000,- 
000  pounds ;  poultry  and  game,  55,000,000  pounds ;  butter,  27,000,000 
pounds ;  and  cheese,  15,000,000  pounds.  Two  hundred  and  fifty  mill- 
ions of  oysters  are  sold  here,  and  in  some  seasons  the  figures  are 
nearly  doubled.  And  do  you  know  that  everything  sold  here  must  pay 
a  tax  before  it  can  be  placed  in  the  market  ?" 


134        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

"I  know,"  said  Mary;  "you  refer  to  the  octroi  duty  that  is  levied  at 
the  gates  of  Paris,  and  many  other  continental  towns  and  cities." 

"  Yes,  the  octroi"  replied  Frank ;  "  the  octroi  of  Paris  yields  a 
revenue  of  60,000,000  francs,  or  $12,000,000  annually.  It  is  levied 
upon  food  and  drink,  and  upon  coal,  hay,  grain,  and  everything  else 
eaten  by  man  or  beast,  or  burned  in  grates  or  furnaces." 

Mrs.  Bassett  asked  when  the  octroi  was  established  in  France,  and 
why  we  do  not  have  it  in  the  United  States. 

"  I  will  answer  your  last  question  first,"  said  Frank  in  reply.  "  The 
octroi  tax  is  unpopular  everywhere,  and — " 

"  That  is  the  case  with  most  taxes,  so  far  as  I  ever  heard,"  remarked 
Mrs.  Bassett,  with  a  smile. 

"  Quite  true  ;  but  the  octroi  tax  is  particularly  so,  as  it  bears  directly 
upon  everybody,  and  in  some  of  its  features  is  more  severe  upon  the  poor 
than  upon  the  well-to-do  or  the  rich.  For  example,  everything  is  taxed 
by  weight  or  measure  without  regard  to  quality ;  wine  is  taxed  by  the 
gallon  or  barrel,  no  matter  whether  it  be  the  common  wine  costing  a 
franc  or  less  for  a  gallon,  or  the  finest  qualities  of  old  wines  worth 
a  hundred  times  as  much  as  the  common  sort.  An  octroi  tax  in  any 
American  city  would  be  sure  to  drive  from  office  every  man  concerned 
in  levying  it,  and  you  know  politicians  are  very  much  disinclined  to  do 
unpopular  things  that  may  throw  them  out  of  office. 

"  As  to  your  second  query,  the  octroi  is  a  very  old  institution  in 
France,  and  was  first  levied,  I  believe,  by  the  JSTorman  kings  a  thousand 
and  more  years  ago.  Originally  it  was  levied  '  in  kind ;'  that  is,  it  was 
paid  in  the  articles  on  which  it  was  imposed ;  but  for  the  last  two 
hundred  years  it  has  been  collected  in  money.  It  was  abolished  in  the 
revolution  of  1789,  but  re-established  in  1798." 

On  their  way  from  their  hotel  to  the  markets  our  friends  had  passed 
the  Comedie  Francaise,  better  known  as  the  Theatre  Francais,  or,  to  put 
it  into  English,  "the  French  Theatre."  Mrs.  Bassett  remarked  that  she 
had  heard  it  was  the  best  theatre  in  the  world,  and  supposed  it  must  be 
something  wonderful  if  it  was  better  than  all  the  rest.  She  was  in- 
clined to  doubt  the  truth  of  the  statement,  as  the  house,  while  hand- 
some enough  in  external  appearance,  was  very  much  inferior  to  other 
theatres  that  she  had  seen  in  Europe  and  America. 

"  It  is  not  the  magnificence  of  the  building,"  said  Frank.  "  to  which 
people  refer  when  they  speak  of  its  being  the  best  theatre  in  the  world, 
but  the  character  of  the  acting  and  the  severe  rules  b\T  which  it  is  gov- 
erned." 


130        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

"  How  does  it  excel  other  theatres  of  Paris  in  those  respects  ?"  was  the 
very  natural  question  which  the  remark  evoked. 

"  To  begin  with,"  said  Frank,  "  this  theatre  is  a  very  old  institution, 
as  it  has  had  an  existence  of  nearly  three  centuries.'' 

"  It  doesn't  look  as  old  as  that,  certainly." 

"  I  don't  mean  the  building,  but  the  company  of  players,"  responded 
Frank.  "  The  building  was  erected — this  one,  I  mean — about  a  hundred 
years  ago,  and  has  recently  been  repaired  and  restored.  But  the  com- 
pany of  players  dates  from  the  year  1600,  and  some  historians  are  inclined 
to  place  its  origin  in  1548,  when  a  company  of  players  was  established 
in  Paris,  which  was  afterwards  united  with  two  others  into  the  Comedie 
Francaise.  The  real  Comedie  Francaise  was  the  creation  of  Louis  XIV., 
and  it  is  said  that  he  established  and  encouraged  it  to  aid  in  spreading 
the  French  language,  which  he  regarded  as  the  language  of  the  world." 

"  Perhaps  that  may  account,"  said  Mary,  "  for  the  tradition  that  the 
best  French  one  can  hear  is  that  which  is  spoken  on  the  stage  of  the 
Theatre  Franoais.    That's  what  my  teacher  in  Xew  York  used  to  tell  me." 

"  Certainly  I  know  of  no  place  where  you  will  hear  better  French 
than  at  this  theatre,  and  you  shall  have  the  opportunity  this  evening. 
When  we  have  seen  the  great  market  Ave  will  come  back  and  get  tickets 
for  the  performance,  provided  they  can  be  had." 

Thus  it  happened  that  when  their  visit  to  Les  Halles  Centrales  was 
concluded  they  returned  to  the  theatre.  Fred  took  Mrs.  Bassett  and 
Mary  for  a  stroll  in  the  garden  of  the  Palais  Royal  and  a  view  of  the 
shop-windows,  while  Frank  went  to  the  bureau  de  location  of  the  theatre 
to  secure  tickets  for  the  evening. 

The  purchase  of  tickets  at  the  bureau  is  a  performance  that  recpiires 
patience.  The  would-be  purchasers  form  in  line,  and  one  at  a  time 
they  are  admitted  in  their  turns  to  a  little  enclosure  in  front  of  the  win- 
dow where  the  tickets  are  sold.  Xobody  is  ever  in  a  hurry  after  he 
reaches  the  window,  however  much  he  may  have  been  before  getting' 
there,  and  the  waiting  ones  outside  are  treated  to  a  display  of  the  utmost 
deliberation  on  the  part  of  the  individual  making  a  selection  of  seats. 
"When  Frank  took  his  place  on  the  line  he  was  the  twelfth  from  the 
window,  and  he  thought  he  would  be  able  to  rejoin  his  friends  in  as 
many  minutes,  but  it  was  half  an  hour  before  he  had  obtained  his  tickets 
and  departed  to  find  his  party. 

Mrs.  Bassett  asked  how  much  less  the  tickets  cost  when  taken  in  ad- 
vance than  when  bought  after  the  opening  of  the  doors  in  the  evening. 
She  was  surprised  to  learn  that  they  cost  two  francs  extra  for  each 


BUYING   TICKETS  FOR  THE   THEATRE. 


137 


ticket.  "This  is  the 
custom  of  the  coun- 
try,'" said  Frank,  ''and 
it  insures  the  reserva- 
tion of  the  seats.  If 
we  had  bought  at  the 
door  before  going  in 
we  could  not  have  re- 
served places,  but 
would  have  to  take 
whatever  the  attend- 
ants chose  to  give. 
There  are  numerous 
ticket -offices  along 
the  boulevards,  but  a 
higher  price,  some- 
times five  francs  extra, 
is  charged  there  for 
reserved  seats ;  and 
very  often,  when  you 
have  bought  seats  in 
what  appears  to  be  a 
good  location,  you 
find  on  reaching  the 
house  that   they  are 

in  a  very  bad  position.    This  trick  is  not  unknown  to  the  ticket  specula- 
tors of  ISew  York,  as  many  a  victim  can  testif\T." 

"  I  hope  you  have  seats  in  the  orchestra,"  said  Mrs.  Bassett ;  "  I 
would  rather  be  there  than  anywhere  else  in  the  house." 

"  Ladies  are  not  admitted  to  the  orchestra  seats  in  the  Theatre  Fran- 
cais,"  replied  Frank. 

"  And  why  not,  I  wonder  ?" 

"  It  is  the  custom  which  has  descended  from  the  time  when  the 
theatre  was  first  established,"  was  the  reply.  "  They  are  very  con- 
servative at  the  Francais,  and  unwilling  to  do  anything  different  from 
what  was  done  in  the  time  of  Corneille  and  Moliere.  There  are  several 
theatres  in  Paris  which  exclude  ladies  from  the  orchestra." 

The  seats  of  our  friends  were  in  the  first  gallery,  and  afforded  an 
excellent  view  of  the  house,  including  both  stage  and  audience.  Mrs. 
Bassett  and  Maiy  were  inclined  to  repel  the  attentions  of  the  feminine 


WAITING    FOR    HER    CUE. 


13S 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


attendants  of  the  cloak-room,  who  insisted  upon  taking  charge  of  their 
wraps  and  supplying-  them  with  footstools.  Frank  whispered  that 
they  had  better  submit  to  the  imposition,  for  it  is  nothing  else,  as  it 
was  one  of  the  customs  of  the  country. 

Accordingly,  they  submitted  and  paid  the  fees,  Mrs.  Bassett  remark- 
ing as  she  left  the  house  that  she  wondered  the  French  did  not  see 
the  absurdity  of  compelling  a  woman  to  take  care  of  her  cloak  for  a 
part  of  the  evening,  but  insisting  upon  taking  it  away  for  the  rest  of 
the  time.  It  should  be  explained  that  the  attendants  bring  the  ladies' 
cloaks  to  them  and  collect  the  fees  for  their  so-called  "  services  "  in  the 
intermission  preceding  the  last  act.  If  a  fair  visitor  be  burdened  with 
her  wraps  through  the  last  act,  she  may  just  as  well  care  for  them 
through  the  preceding  ones. 


DRESSING-ROOM    OF    AN    ACTRESS. 


Before  the  raising  of  the  curtain,  Frank  called  attention  to  the 
ceiling  of  the  interior,  which  represented  France  distributing  laurels 
to   her   three   great   dramatists,  Corneille,  Moliere,  and  Bacine.     Our 


140        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

friends  had  not  much  time  for  contemplating  these  decorations,  as 
the  curtain  rose  in  a  very  few  minutes  after  their  arrival.  Though 
they  Avent  early  to  the  house,  the3r  had  used  up  a  goodly  amount  of 
their  time  in  an  examination  of  the  statues,  busts,  and  other  ornaments 
of  the  magnificent  foyer,  or  public  hallway,  and  in  contemplating  the 
great  stairway  which  is  the  admiration  and  pride  of  every  Parisian. 

Mary  remarked  that  she  thought  there  was  a  very  good  history  of 
the  French  stage  in  the  statuary  and  paintings  to  be  seen  in  the  theatre. 
Frank  said  she  would  think  so  still  more  if  she  were  admitted  behind 
the  scenes  and  into  the  greenroom,  where  the  actors  assemble  previous 
to  the  performance,  or  when. not  wanted  on  the  stage  during  its  progress. 

"  The  walls  of  the  greeni'oom,"  said  Frank,  "  are  covered  with  por- 
traits of  famous  actors  and  dramatists  from  the  time  of  C'orneille  to  the 
present,  and  so  numerous  are  they  that  hardlj-  a  square  inch  of  wall  can 
be  seen.  In  a  frame  and  covered  with  glass  is  the  decree  of  Louis  XIY., 
signed  by  him  and  countersigned  by  his  Minister  of  State,  Colbert,  which 
established  the  theatre  and  bestowed  a  pension  of  twelve  thousand  francs 
a  year  upon  the  comedians.  There  is  an  old  clock  of  the  last  century, 
with  a  bust  of  Moliere  upon  its  top.  The  furniture  is  in  the  style  of 
Louis  XIV.  and  Louis  XV.,  and  the  oaken  floor  has  no  carpet,  but  is 
waxed  until  it  could  almost  serve  as  a  mirror." 

'•You  said  that  King  Louis  XIV.  gave  an  annual  present  of  twelve 
thousand  francs  to  the  comedians :  do  they  get  that  amount  of  money 
every  year  at  the  present  time  '.'■ 

"  Yes,  and  a  great  deal  more.  The  annual  subvention  or  allowance 
to  the  Theatre  Francais  is  240,000  francs,  or  $48,000.  The  Grand  Opera- 
house  has  a  subvention  of  800,000  francs,  the  Opera  Comique  300.000 
francs,  and  the  Odeon  Theatre  100,000  francs.  The  other  theatres  of 
Paris  are  not  subsidized,  and  consequently  are  not  known  as  '  Govern- 
ment' theatres,  like  the  ones  I  have  mentioned." 

"  Has  the  Theatre  Francais  been  subsidized  ever  since  the  time  the 
subsidy  was  first  granted  by  Louis  XIV.?'' 

••  Practically  it  has.  For  ten  years  after  1789  it  had  no  subsidy,  and 
for  a  part  of  that  time  the  actors  were  imprisoned  by  order  of  the  lead- 
ers of  the  revolution ;  the  subsidy  was  also  stopped  for  a  short  time 
during  the  war  of  1871,  but  on  that  occasion  the  actors  were  not  de- 
prived of  their  liberty.  The  theatre  is  just  as  prosperous  under  the 
republic  as  it  was  under  the  empire ;  changes  of  government  do  not 
affect  it ;  and  no  matter  who  may  be  their  ruler,  the  French  cling  to 
the  drama  as  an  unfailing  source  of  amusement." 


OLD   CUSTOMS  MAINTAINED. 


141 


When  the  curtain  rose,  Mrs.  Bassett's  attention  was  fixed  upon  the 
stage  with  an  earnestness  which  showed  her  unfamiliarity  with  it.  Not 
a  word  escaped  her ;  and  she  declared,  in  the  intermission,  that  though 
she  had  never  studied  French,  and  did  not  ordinarily  comprehend  it,  she 
understood  a  great  deal  of  the  dialogue  of  the  play  she  witnessed.  She 
is  by  no  means  the  first  American  who  has  made  the  same  comment 
upon  the  French  of  the  Comedie  Francaise.  Mary  said  she  had  never 
heard  the  Gallic  tongue  to  such  per- 
fection, and  she  thought  Louis  XIV. 
had  a  wrise  head  on  his  shoulders 
wThen  he  decided  to  establish  this 
theatre  in  order  to  spread  the 
knowledge  of  the  French  language, 
as  stated  in  the  history  of  the  fa- 
mous house. 

Nothing  escaped  Mrs.  Bassett's 
eyes  or  ears,  and  one  of  her  first 
questions  related  to  the  three  sol- 
emn knocks  which  precede  the  rais- 
ing of  the  curtain.  Frank  explained 
that  they  were  a  part  of  the  tradi- 
tions of  the  theatre,  and  dated  from 
the  time  of  Moliere,  when  the  hal- 
berdiers of  the  King  or  other  high 
personages  used  to  strike  the  floor 
with  their  staffs  as  they  walked  in 
front  of  the  great  man,  and  thus 
announced  his  coming1.  The  signal 
is  given  by  the  stage-manager  with 
a  heavy  staff,  and  there  is  an  inter- 
val of  about  a  second  between  the 
knocks.  The  curtain  of  this  theatre 
is  never  "  rung  up,"  for  the  reason 
that  there  is  no  bell  to  ring. 

The  play  Avhich  our  friends  wit- 
nessed was  "  Hernani."    The  reader 

who  is  familiar  with  this  drama  will  agree  with  Frank  and  Fred  that  it 
was  not  at  all  hilarious ;  and  Mrs.  Bassett  was  at  a  loss  to  understand 
where  the  fun  came  in,  as  she  had  heard  there  was  a  great  deal  of  fun 
in  the  French  theatres.     "  Hernani,"  it  is  proper  to  remark,  is  a  very 


STAGE-MANAGER   MAKING    "  THE    THREE    KNOCKS.' 


142 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


solemn  sort  of  trag- 
edy in  verse,  its 
scene  being  laid  in 
the  time  of  Charle- 
magne. Apropos 
of  this,  Frank  re- 
lated an  anecdote 
about  a  gentleman 
who  shall  be  name- 
less. 

"  He  was  in  Par- 
is in  the  summer  of 
1867,"  said  Frank, 
"  when  the  per- 
formance of  "La 
Grand  Duchesse  de 
Gerolstein'  by  Ma- 
demoiselle Schnei- 
der was  one  of  the 
theatrical  sensa- 
tions of  the  time. 
This  gentleman 
went  one  evening 
to  see  the  wonder- 
ful Schneider,  who 
was  performing  at 
the  Palais  Koyal 
Theatre,  not  far 
from  the  Francais.  Arriving  at  the  theatre,  he  bought  his  ticket  and 
entered,  and  just  as  he  did  so  the  curtain  rose  upon  the  performance. 
He  had  no  programme ;  programmes  are  not  distributed  free  in  the 
Parisian  as  in  the  American  theatres,  but  must  be  bought,  and  he  had 
not  taken  the  trouble  to  buy  one  before  entering  the  house. 

"The  gentleman  looked  and  listened,  and  listened  and  looked, 
through  the  first  act,  and  wondered  when  the  fun  would  begin  —  he 
had  heard  that  the  play  was  one  of  the  most  amusing  that  had  been 
seen  on  the  stage  for  a  long  while — but  to  his  surprise  there  was  noth- 
ing to  raise  the  faintest  semblance  of  a  smile  from  the  time  the  curtain 
Avent  up  till  it  fell  at  the  end  of  the  act.  Then  he  went  into  the  vesti- 
bule and  bought  a  programme.     He  found  that  he  was  in  the  Theatre 


"jiijif 


HAT    AND    CLOAK    ROOM. 


MANAGEMENT   OF  THE  THEATRE  FRANCAIS. 


143 


Francais  instead  of  the  Palais  Royal,  and  was  listening  to  the  stately 
and  solemn  verse  of  Victor  Hugo  in  '  Hernani,'  instead  of  the  drolleries 
of  '  La  Grande  Duchesse.'  He  laughed  at  his  mistake,  and  remained  to 
see  the  end  of  the  performance,  reserving  the  '  Grande  Duchesse '  for 
another  evening,  when  he  made  no  mistake." 

After  the  laugh  which  followed  the  story  was  ended,  Frank  told  his 
mother  that  the  company  of  the  Comedie  Francaise  was  something  more 
than  the  ordinary  theatrical  company  which  is  engaged  at  the  beginning 
of  a  season  and  discharged  at  the  end  of  it,  and  very  often  before  the 
season  is  closed,  as  in  the  United  States. 

"At  the  head  of  the  management  is  an  administrator,  who  is  ap- 
pointed by  the  Government,  and  is  generally  a  literary  man  of  distinc- 
tion. Then  there  is  a  company  of  twenty -four  stockholders,  or  societaires, 
who  share  the  profits  of  the  theatre  after  the  expenses  are  paid ;  these 
societaires  are  chosen 
from  among  the  oldest 
of  the  comedians,  or 
those  who  have  given 
the  longest  service,  and 
they  are  elected  for  a 
period  of  twenty  years, 
after  which  they  retire 
upon  a  pension.  The 
other  members  of  the 
company  are  paid  by 
salary,  and  the  salaries 
are  graded  according  to 
the  importance  of  the 
individual.  At  the  last 
annual  report  of  the  af- 
fairs of  the  company, 
fifty -one  persons  who 
had  served  their  time 
and  been  placed  on  the 
retired  list  were  receiv- 
ing an  aggregate  of  12f!,- 
000  francs  annually." 

Mrs.  Bassett  was 
much  interested  in 
Mounet-Sully,  who  rep-  mocnet-sully  as  herxani. 


^ 


144 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


resented  the  title  role  in  '  Hernani.'  She  thought  he  did  his  part  admira- 
bly, and  was  as  melancholy  as  one  could  wish,  but  she  didn't  believe  he 
could  be  the  clown  of  a  circus  if  he  tried  ever  so  hard.     Other  patrons 

of  the  Francais  who  have  seen  him 
will  undoubtedly  agree  with  her. 

"He  never  plays  in  comedy,*' 
said  Frank,  in  explanation  of  the  in- 
ability of  Mounet-Su  11  v  to  be  humor- 
ous. ''You  ought  to  see  Coque- 
lin  Cadet,  or  Coquelin  the  younger, 
in  a  comedy  part,  and  then  I'm 
sure  you  would  have  a  good  laiudi 
over  his  work.  A  famous  come- 
dian of  this  theatre  was  Frederick 
Lemaitre,  who  died  in  1876;  he 
may  be  said  to  have  created  the 
character  of  Robert  Macaire,  and 
those  who  saw  him  say  he  kept 
the  audience  in  a  roar  of  laughter 
all  the  time  he  was  on  the  stage. 
But  he  was  also  a  great  tragedian, 
and  it  was  difficult  for  any  one 
who  had  seen  him  in  a  tragic  part 
to  realize  his  powers  as  a  come- 
dian, or  when  seeing  him  as  a 
comedian  to  believe  that  he  could 
play  in  tragedy." 

"We  will  not  attempt  to  record 
all  that  was  said  by  our  friends 
during  their  evening  at  the  Come- 
die  Francaise.  Frank  told  his  moth- 
er about  Coquelin  the  elder  —  the 
two  Coquelins  are  brothers — and 
other  gentlemen  of  the  company,  and  he  answered  several  questions  which 
Mary  asked  concerning  Madame  Bernhardt,  Mademoiselles  Reiehemberg 
and  Croisette,  and  other  actresses  whose  names  have  become  famous  on 
the  French  stage.  Altogether,  the  evening  was  passed  very  agreeably,, 
and  Mrs.  Bassett  and  her  daughter  found  the  curtain  falling  on  the  last 
act  of  the  play  at  an  hour  much  later  than  they  supposed  it  was. 

It  mav  be  said  in  this  connection  that  Faris  contains  about  twenty 


F.  LEMAITRE  AS  ROBERT  MACAIRE. 


THEATRES   OF  PARIS.— THE   GRAND  OPERA-HOUSE.  145 

large  theatres,  and  as  many  smaller  ones,  and  almost  any  kind  of  dra- 
matic taste  mny  be  satisfied.  Then  there  are  concerts  of  various  grades, 
and  for  the  lovers  of  music  on  a  grand  scale  there  is  the  Opera-house, 
which  was  begun  under  the  second  empire  and  completed  under  the  re- 
public, and  is  beyond  question  the  finest  opera-house  in  the  world.  Our 
friends  visited  it  one  evening,  and  here  is  Mary's  account  of  what  they 
saw  and  heard  during  their  stay  : 

"  "We  had  seen  the  outside  of  the  Opera-house  several  times,  and  I 
knew  that  if  the  interior  was  at  all  in  keeping  with  the  exterior  it  must 
be  very  grand  indeed.  I  tried  to  imagine  what  it  was  and  read  several 
descriptions,  but  in  spite  of  imagination  and  descriptions  the  reality  was 
more  than  I  expected  to  find.  It  is  no  more  possible  to  describe  the  in- 
terior of  the  Opera-house  than  it  is  to  tell  in  words  the  flavor  of  a  fruit 
or  the  perfume  of  a  flower,  and  I  don't  think  I'll  try.  You  may  suppose 
that  all  the  great  adjectives  in  the  language,  and  some  borrowed  from 
the  French,  are  thrown  in  here  together ;  then  multiply  by  two  or  three, 
and  you  may  possibly  get  an  idea  of  the  grandeur  of  the  new  Opera- 
house  of  Paris  as  it  is  to-day. 

"  Frank  says  it  is  not  the  most  capacious  theatre  in  the  world,  though 
the  largest  in  area,  as  it  seats  only  2156  persons,  and  therefore  has  a 
smaller  capacity  than  several  other  theatres  or  opera-houses,  especially 
those  of  Vienna,  ISTaples,  Milan,  and  Barcelona.  Together  with  the  three 
acres  of  ground  on  which  it  stands  it  cost  veiy  nearly  ten  millions  of 
dollars,  and  the  stone  of  which  it  is  built  came  from  half  a  dozen  dif- 
ferent countries.  Ked  and  green  granite,  red  porphyry,  and  marbles  of 
different  construction  were  used  in  the  exterior  and  interior  of  the 
building,  and  nearly  all  the  prominent  sculptors  of  France  were  em- 
ployed in  one  way  and  another.  The  outside  is  very  fine  in  its  way, 
though  it  has  been  criticised  a  good  deal — mostly  by  those  who  had  noth- 
ing- to  do  with  the  erection  of  the  building.  On  the  front  there  are 
groups  of  statuary  or  single  statues,  representing  '  Poetry,'  '  Drama,' 
'  Declamation,'  '  The  Dance,'  and  other  subjects.  Soon  after  the  statuary 
was  unveiled  there  was  much  discussion  concerning  it,  and  one  night  a 
quantity  of  ink  was  thrown  over  some  of  the  figures.  Of  course  there 
was  more  discussion  than  ever,  and  it  was  very  broadly  insinuated  that 
the  ink  had  been  thrown  by  friends  of  the  sculptor  in  order  to  attract 
public  attention  to  the  work. 

'•  We  went  into  an  enormous  vestibule,  which  seemed  capable  of  con- 
taining half  the  audience  at  once.     We  had  secured  tickets  in  advance, 

and  had  no  occasion  to  stop  at  the  ticket-office,  which  is  in  the  vestibule. 
10 


110 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IX  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


The  grand  staircase  about  which  we  had  heard  a  great  deal  was  right  in 
front  of  us,  and  we  followed  the  others  who  were  ascending  it. 

"And  what  a  staircase  it  is !    All  in  solid  marble — that  is,  the  steps  are 

marble,  but  the 
balustrades  are  of 
rosso  antico,  and 
there  is  a  hand- 
rail of  onyx! 
Frank  says  the 
lower  part  of  the 
staircase  is  thir- 
ty-two feet  wide ; 
about  "half  -  way 
up  to  the  next 
floor  it  divides 
into  two  parts, 
which  turn  in  op- 
posite directions 
and  are  narrower 
at  the  lower  por- 
tion. 

"But  if  the 
staircase  is  grand, 
the  great  foyer 
or  promenade  hall 
is  grander  yet.  It 
is  175  feet  long 
by  12  feet  wide, 
and  it  seemed  to 
me  that  the  ceil- 
ing was  fully  fif- 
ty feet  above  my 
head.  Frank  said 
I  had  guessed 
very  well,  as  the 
actual  height  of 
the  ceiling  above 
the  floor  is  fifty-nine  feet.  All  this  grand  hall  is  profusely  decorated 
with  painting  and  gilding,  and  adorned  with  sculpture  which  it  would 
take  me  an  hour  to  describe,  and  even  then  I  shouldn't  be  half  through 


STAIRCASE    OF    THE    NEW    OPERA-HOUSE. 


AN   ANGRY  AMERICAN.  147 

my  description.  And  speaking  of  the  foyer  reminds  me  of  an  incident 
that  made  an  American,  a  stranger  to  ns,  very  angry. 

"  Between  two  of  the  acts  we  went  out  to  promenade  in  the  foyer. 
Gentlemen  may  put  on  their  hats  there  if  they  choose,  and  the  American 
I  refer  to  followed  the  example  of  the  rest.  Unfortunately  for  him,  his 
hat  was  a  soft  one,  such  as  is  worn  in  the  Western  States  and  Territories, 
and  to  a  less  extent  around  ]Sew  York.  One  of  the  attendants  of  the 
foyer  politely  told  him  that  he  must  remove  the  hat ;  the  American 
pretended  that  he  did  not  understand,  and  answered  in  very  plain 
American  language  that  he  was  '  all  right.1  The  attendant  then  mo- 
tioned to  the  hat,  and  indicated  by  signs  that  it  could  not  be  worn 
there ;  the  American  protested,  and  said  many  things  uncomplimentary 
to  the  French ;  but  the  affair  ended  by  his  removing  the  hat,  as  he  was 
made  to  understand  that  he  would  be  excluded  from  the  place  if  he  did 
not  comply  with  the  rules  of  the  management. 

"  Since  this  occurrence  I  have  learned  that  there  are  many  places 
where  a  man  wearing  a  soft  hat  or  cap  is  not  allowed  to  enter,  or  if  so 
allowed,  he  is  liable  to  uncivil  treatment.  Frank  says  that  the  reason 
of  it  is  that  the  cap  and  the  soft  hat  are  not  considered  the  attributes  of 
a  gentleman ;  they  belong  exclusively  to  the  working  or  middle  classes, 
and  are  never  worn  by  any  one  who  makes  a  pretence  of  belonging 
among  the  aristocracy,  which  is  very  rigid  in  its  rules. 

"  There  are  several  saloons  and  rooms  open  to  the  public,  and  either 
connected  with  the  foyer  or  with  some  of  the  galleries.  Everywhere 
that  we  went  we  found  paintings  and  statuary,  and  as  for  the  ceilings, 
they  were  fairly  covered  with  decorations  wherever  a  figure  could  be 
placed.  We  had  secured  a  box  for  our  party,  and  were  very  comfort- 
ably placed ;  there  are  four  tiers  of  boxes,  and  there  is  a  gallery  above 
the  fourth  tier,  and  as  for  the  lower  tier,  it  is  just  sufficiently  above  the 
orchestra  or  parterre  to  give  a  clear  view  of  the  stage  even  if  the  people 
there  should  happen  to  be  standing  up.  Ladies  are  not  admitted  to  the 
orchestra  seats,  and  the  rule  is  inflexible. 

"  Frank  says  the  stage  is  ITS  feet  wide  and  7-i  feet  deep,  and  the  arch 
above  it  is  almost  two  hundred  feet  high.  Of  course  they  have  all  the 
paraphernalia  they  want  for  the  production  of  the  operas  that  are  given 
here,  as  the  house  is  heavily  subsidized  by  the  Government,  in  addition  to 
the  revenue  from  the  sale  of  tickets  and  the  subscriptions  for  boxes. 
There  are  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  performers  attached  to  the  house, 
besides  a  small  army  of  attendants,  so  that  it  takes  a  great  deal  of  money 
to  support  the  establishment.     Opera  is  given  here  three  times  a  week, 


148        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

and  in  winter  there  is  an  extra  performance  on  Saturday.  Among  the 
professional  singers  it  is  considered  a  piece  of  the  highest  good-fortune 
to  be  engaged  to  appear  at  the  Grand  Opera-house,  and  there  is  always 
a  great  deal  of  strife  for  places.  The  leading  singers  are  engaged  by  the 
year,  and  sometimes  for  longer  terms,  and  their  salaries  are  high,  but  not 
as  high  as  is  sometimes  the  case  in  New  York. 


CEILINfi    OF    AUnlTORirM—  NEW    OrERA-HOUSE. 


«  The  opera  they  performed  the  night  we  went  there  was  '  Hamlet,' 
by  Ambroise  Thomas.  Mamma  thought  it  was  by  Theodore  Thomas, 
whom  she  had  seen  in  New  York,  and  she  was  greatly  interested  in  it 
until  she  found  out  her  mistake.  She  did  not  lose  her  interest  altogether 
when  we  set  her  right,  but  remarked,  with  a  sigh,  that  she  was  disap- 
pointed, as  she  had  never  seen  or  heard  of  the  French  composer  before. 
I  should  have  remarked  that  the  opera  given  here  is  national,  the  com- 
posers and  language  being  French,  and  the  scenes  laid  in  France,  where 
they  can  be  so  laid  without  sacrificing  too  much  of  the  truth  of  history. 

"  From  our  box  we  had  a  fine  view  of  the  stage,  and  could  see  and 


A  VISIT  TO   THE   CIRCUS.  149 

hear  to  our  complete  satisfaction.  I  cannot  say  that  I  greatly  admire 
the  music  of  '  Hamlet,'  but  I'm  not  competent  to  criticise,  and  therefore 
will  not  endeavor  to  explain  the  reasons  for  my  indifference.  But  this 
I  must  say,  that  everything  was  rendered  to  perfection,  and  the  mise  en 
scene,  as  they  call  the  general  setting  of  the  stage,  was  the  finest  I  ever 
saw.  Mother  rubbed  her  eyes  two  or  three  times,  as  though  uncertain 
whether  she  was  awake  or  dreaming,  and  I  confess  to  an  inclination  to 
do  the  same  thing  occasionally. 

"  On  the  whole,  I  don't  wonder  that  the  Parisians  are  very  proud  of 
their  Opera-house,  as  they  certainly  have  a  right  to  be.  Neither  do  I 
wonder  that  the  representatives  of  the  classes  who  cannot  afford  to  go 
to  the  opera,  but  are  obliged  to  pay  their  share  of  the  taxes,  look  upon 
the  heavy  cost  of  the  building  and  the  annual  expenditure  for  subsidies 
as  a  burden  upon  the  people  that  ought  to  be  removed." 

During  the  rest  of  their  stay  in  Paris  our  friends  visited  some  of  the 
minor  theatres,  but  did  not  find  any  of  them  as  interesting  as  the  Come- 
die  Francaise,  of  which  we  have  had  such  a  full  description.  They  also 
visited  the  Xouveau  Cirque,  which  is  one  of  the  institutions  of  the 
French  capital.  It  is  a  circus,  with  the  ring  so  arranged  that  it  can  be 
flooded  for  aquatic  performances  in  a  few  minutes,  and  it  was  to  see  this 
change  that  the  party  went  there. 

"  There  were  the  usual  performances  of  the  circus,"  said  Fred,  "  and 
then  a  great  carpet  of  rough  material  which  covered  the  flooring  was 
rolled  up.  The  flooring  is  of  planks,  bored  full  of  holes,  and  it  is  ar- 
ranged somehow  so  that  the  water  rises  through  it,  and  flows  around 
it  in  all  directions.  In  a  few  minutes  there  was  water  enough  in  the 
ring  for  a  boat-race  and  a  race  with  water-bicycles.  Frank  said  it  was 
the  tank  drama  of  America  on  the  largest  scale  he  had  ever  seen." 


150 


THE  BOY  TKAVKLLEKS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

A  VISIT  TO  THE  SALON.— SOMETHING  ABOUT  FRENCH  ART.— COLLECTIONS  OF  THE 

LOUVRE  AXD  THE  LUXEMBOURG.— ART  STUDENTS  IX  PARIS.  — SCHOOLS  OF 
ART.— MINISTER  OF  FIXE  ARTS  AXD  HIS  DUTIES.— PICTURES  BOUGHT  BY  GOV- 
ERNMENT.—DISTINCTIVE  CHARACTERISTICS  OF  FRENCH  ART.— NOTED  FRENCH 
ARTISTS  OF  TO-DAY.— A  VISIT  TO  A  FAMOUS  STUDIO.— ECOUEN,  AND  THE  ART- 
ISTS THERE.— EDOUARD  FRERE.— SCHOOL  OF  THE  LEGION  OF  HONOR.— MARY'S 
ACCOUNT  OF  THEIR  VISIT  TO  ECOUEN.— PEASANT  LIFE.— EXCURSION'S  IX  THE 
COUNTRY.— EDUCATION  IN  FRANCE.— HOW  THE  SCHOOLS  ARE  CONDUCTED.— 
RELIGIOUS  DENOMINATIONS  AND  THEIR  ALLOWANCES  FROM  GOVERNMENT.— 
CHANGES  AMONG  THE  PEASANTRY. 


MPS.  BASSETT  suggested  that  she  wished  to  see  the  Salon.  She 
didn't  know  what  it  was,  but  she  heard  people  talking  about  it. 
and  thought  she  ought  not  to  miss  such  an  interesting  sight  as  the  Salon. 
Frank  said  at  once  that  they  would  see  the  Salon,  and  he  ex- 
plained that  it  was  an  exhibition 
of  paintings  which  was  held  an- 
nually in  Paris  for  the  display  of 
the  work  of  the  artists. 

"Do  they  send  all  their  pict- 
ures there — all  that  they  are  able 
to  paint  during  the  year  1"  Mrs. 
Bassett  asked. 

"  Not  by  any  means,"  was  the 
reply.  "Each  artist  sends  a  sin- 
gle picture,  and  he  makes  sure 
that  it  is  one  of  the  best  speci- 
mens of  what  he  can  do.  A 
great  many  pictures  are  refused  a 
place  on  the  walls  of  the  Salon, 
because  they  do  not  come  up  to 
the  standard  fixed  by  the  commit- 
tee in  charge  of  the  exhibition.  Sometimes  their  number  is  so  great 
that  an  exhibition  is  made  of  the  rejected  paintings,  and  it   requires 


JEAN    LOUIS    MEISSONIER. 


HISTORY   OF   THE  SALON. 


151 


much  more  space  than  the  regular  one.     Out  of  eight  thousand  paint- 
ings offered  in  one  year,  two  thousand  one  hundred  only  were  accepted." 
"  Why  is  this  exhibition  called  '  the  Salon  V  "  queried  Mary. 


"l'HK   ADVANCE   GUARD." — [A.  de  Xeuville.] 


"  Because,'"  said  Frank,  "  the  exhibition  was  originally  held  in  a 
salon,  or  large  parlor,  of  the  Louvre.  It  was  called  'the  Salon '  on  that 
account,  and,  since  the  transfer  of  the  exhibition  to  its  present  quarters 
in  the  Palais  de  1' Industrie,  on  the  Champs-Ely  sees,  the  name  has  been 
retained,  though  its  meaning-  is  gone.'" 

"  We  have  seen  that  building,  have  we  not  ?"  was  the  next  question 
for  the  youth  to  answer  for  his  inquisitors. 

"  Yes,  we  have  seen  the  outside  of  it  only.  To-day  we  will  look  at 
the  interior.  The  building  was  erected  in  1855  for  the  first  World's 
Fair  in  Paris ;  it  was  a  private  enterprise  at  the  time,  but  the  structure 
was  afterwards  bought  by  Government.  It  contains  a  museum  and 
some  other  exhibitions,  and  there  is  a  large  hall  in  the  building  which  is 
used  for  various  purposes  on  frequent  occasions."' 

Further  comments  upon  the  Salon  were  postponed  until  our  friends 
reached  it,  and  were  looking  at  the  works  of  art  which  make  the  repu- 
tation of  the  annual  display.  They  spent  a  short  time  among  the 
sculptures  on  the  ground-floor  of  the  building,  and  then  ascended  the 


152        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

staircase  to  the  gallery  of  paintings.  Mrs.  Bassett  was  surprised  at  the 
great  number  on  exhibition.  The  catalogue  was  a  portly  volume,  con- 
taining several  thousand  references,  and  it  was  readily  seen  that  a  view 
of  all  the  paintings  in  the  time  they  had  at  their  disposal  was  an  utter 
impossibility. 

"  It's  a  pity  they  cannot  do  here  as  they  do  in  many  of  the  art  gal- 
leries in  various  parts  of  the  Continent,"  Frank  remarked. 

"  How  is  that  ?" 

"Why,  they  give  a  catalogue  of  all  the  pictures,  marking  the  very 
famous  ones  with  two  stars,  the  ordinarily  famous  with  one  star,  and 
the  rest  with  no  stars  at  all.  When  you  enter  one  of  these  galleries 
you  have  only  to  look  at  the  catalogue  to  know  what  it  is  proper  to 
admire.  The  ordinary  pictures  you  need  not  regard  at  all,  and  probably 
will  not,  even  though  they  be  very  meritorious,  as  they  must  be  to  have 
a  place  there ;  you  can  just  glance  at  those  with  a  single  star,  and  re- 
serve your  enthusiasm  for  the  paintings  with  the  double  star.'' 

"  I  observe  that  Baedeker's  guide-books  follow  that  system,"  Mary 
remarked,  as  Frank  paused. 

"  Yes,  they  do ;  and  it  is  of  great  assistance  to  travellers  whose  time 
as  well  as  their  knowledge  of  art  is  limited.  It  enables  them  to  bestow 
their  admiration  where  the  critics  say  it  belongs,  and  not  to  waste  it 
upon  paintings  unknown  to  fame.'' 

"  Why  can't  they  do  the  same  with  the  paintings  in  the  Salon  ?" 

"  Because  these  are  all  new  pictures,  and  none  of  them  have  been 
exhibited  at  all,  except  in  the  studios  of  the  artists  who  painted  them. 
They  have  no  fame  as  yet,  no  matter  how  much  the  painters  may  be 
famous  nor  how  great  their  merit." 

"  What  is  done  with  all  these  pictures  after  the  exhibition  is  over  ?" 

"  Some  of  the  best  are  bought  by  the  Government  aud  sent  to  the 
Palace  of  the  Luxembourg,  where  the  works  of  famous  living  painters 
are  displayed.  Ten  years  after  an  artist's  death  his  paintings,  or  such 
of  them  as  belong  to  the  Government,  are  sent  to  the  gallery  of  the 
Louvre,  which  may  be  considered  the  national  gallery  of  French  art. 
The  collection  in  the  Louvre  dates  from  the  sixteenth  century,  when  the 
kings  began  to  gather  the  best  works  of  the  artists  of  that  time,  and 
place  them  on  exhibition  with  a  view  to  improving  the  public  taste 
in  art  and  everything  relating  to  it."' 

'■  I  have  read  that  Napoleon  I.  endeavored  to  make  the  Louvre  the 
finest  art  collection  in  the  world,"  Mary  remai'ked. 

"  So  he  did,"  said  Fred.  "  and  he  succeeded  iu  a  great  measure.     As 


IN  THE   SALON. 


15c 


his  armies  overran  Europe  they  took  possession  of  all  the  famous  paint- 
ings and  sculpture  in  the  cities  that  they  captured,  and  all  these  prizes 
were  sent  to  the  Louvre.  After  the  general  peace  of  1815  a  great  many 
of  these  things  were  sent  back ;  but  in  spite  of  what  was  thus  lost  to 
the  Louvre  collection,  it  is  still  considered  the  hnest  in  Europe.  You 
will  know  how  extensive  it  is  when  you  have  learned  that  it  takes  two 
hours  to  walk  through  all  the  rooms  of  the  Louvre  without  stopping, 
and  every  yard 
of  the  way  you 
are  among  paint- 
ings, sculpture,  or 
other  objects  of 
interest." 

"  But  we  are 
losing  sight  of 
the  Salon,"  said 
Frank,  as  soon  as 
Fred  paused,"  and 
perhaps  we  may 
as  well  confine 
ourselves  to  what 
is  before  us." 

The  rest  of 
the  party  agreed 
to  his  suggestion, 
and  all  eyes  were 
turned  to  the 
walls,  on  which 
the  pictures  were 
spread  so  thickly 
that  little  if  any 
of  the  wall  could 
be  seen  anywhere. 

What  they  saw 
and  said  we  have 
no  space  to  re- 
cord, as  we  would 

run  the  risk  of  filling  this  volume  with  an  account  of  the  Salon  for  the 
season  of  their  visit,  to  the  exclusion  of  other  matters ;  but  we  are  per- 
mitted to  say  that  Mrs.  Bassett's  views  upon  French  art  were  delivered 


'EXPECTATION." — [Toulmouche.] 


154        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

from  an  American  point  of  view,  and  were  not  always  complimentary 
to  the  French  artists  of  the  day.  The  pictures  that  pleased  her  most 
were  like  those  which  have  come  from  the  easels  of  Rosa  Bonheur, 
Trovon.  Jules  Breton,  Chialiva.  Edouard  Frere,  and  others,  who  devote 
themselves  to  domestic,  rural,  and  similar  scenes;  those  whose  works 
displeased  her — well,  we  will  not  endeavor  to  give  their  names,  as  they 
were  not  recorded  at  the  time,  and  may  just  as  well  be  left  to  themselves. 

<  >f  course,  the  visit  to  the  Salon  stimulated  the  desire  of  our  friends 
to  see  the  collections  of  the  Louvre  and  the  Luxembourg,  and  learn  as 
much  as  they  could,  during  their  stay  in  Paris,  of  the  art  of  which  it  is 
the  centre.  Mrs.  Bassett  learned  that  there  was  a  considerable  number 
of  Americans  studying  art  in  Paris,  the  majority  of  them  going  rarely 
into  the  regions  frequented  by  their  countrymen,  but  associating  almost 
entirely  with  French  people  when  they  associated  with  anybody.  Frank 
said  they  had  probably  concluded  that  they  could  find  Americans  enough 
in  the  United  States,  and  when  visiting  or  living  in  foreign  countries 
they  preferred  to  embrace  the  opportunity  to  study  the  people  of  those 
countries  and  their  ways  of  life. 

He  added  that  the  majority  of  the  foreign  art  students  in  Paris  were 
of  limited  means,  and  must  practise  rigid  economy  in  their  way  of  liv- 
ing in  order  to  be  able  to  live  there  at  all.  Some  of  the  Americans  had 
become  more  or  less  famous,  and  their  pictures  were  admitted  to  the 
Salon,  while  others  had  been  struggling  for  years  without  attaining  that 
distinction,  and  with  little  prospect  of  it. 

Mrs.  Bassett  asked  why  American  students  of  art  did  not  stay  in 
their  own  country.  She  supposed  there  was  a  good  reason  for  their 
coming  abroad,  and  wanted  to  know  what  it  was. 

'•  There  are  many  reasons  in  favor  of  their  coming  away  from  home," 
said  Frank,  in  reply  to  her  question.  "  They  can  live  here  more  cheaply, 
other  things  being  equal,  than  in  an  American  city;  they  are  surrounded 
by  the  art  of  several  centuries;  have  free  access  to  all  the  galleries  where 
the  finest  pictures  and  sculptures  can  be  seen ;  can  visit,  under  certain 
restrictions,  the  studios  of  famous  artists,  and  become  pupils  of  those 
artists  on  payment  of  the  required  fees ;  and  have  free  use  of  the  art 
schools  which  are  supported  by  the  Government." 

The  last  remark  caused  Mrs.  Bassett  to  ask  in  what  way  the  Gov- 
ernment supported  schools  where  people  could  go  to  study  art.  Frank 
explained  that  there  is  a  Minister  of  Fine  Arts,  just  as  much  as  there  is 
a  Minister  of  War  or  of  Marine.  He  superintends  the  whole  business 
of  art  so  far  as  the  Government  is  concerned  in  it ;  he  appoints  the  in- 


THE  MINISTER  OF  FINE  ARTS. 


155 


structors  in  the  Academy  of  Fine  Arts,  fixes  their  salaries,  regulates  the 
Salon  and  other  exhibitions,  decides  upon  the  purchase  of  pictures  on 
Government  account,  decides  upon  the  placing  of  statuary  in  the  public 


'return  of  the  flock." — [Jacques.] 


squares  of  Paris  and  other  cities,  and  attends  to  a  good  many  other 
things  of  the  same  sort.  Frank  said  the  importance  of  the  Department 
of  Fine  Arts  was  shown  in  the  fact  that  the  annual  appropriation  for  it 
exceeds  10,000,000  francs,  or  $2,000,000. 

"No  one  can  visit  the  art  collections  of  Paris,"  said  Frank,  "  without 
being  impressed  with  the  great  number  of  paintings  in  which  the  glorv 
of  France  in  war  is  made  prominent.  The  French  artists  follow  the 
example  of  their  brethren  of  other  nations,  in  leaving  out  of  considera- 
tion the  battles  in  which  their  own  armies  were  not  victorious.  The 
visitor  may  look  in  vain  for  a  representation  on  canvas  of  the  battle  of 
"Waterloo,  just  as  he  may  search  without  satisfactory  result  in  Berlin  for 
the  battle  of  Jena,  or  in  Vienna  for  that  of  Austerlitz.  But  the  battles 
in  which  the  standards  of  France  have  floated  triumphantly  have  been 
preserved  by  the  artists  of  the  nation,  and  one  must  ascribe  to  them  the 
merit  of  being  the  greatest  battle-painters  of  the  world. 

"  In  battle  -  painting  the  svstem  of  the  French  artists  has  changed 


156        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IX  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

greatly  since  the  beginning  of  the  century;  it  is  less  the  custom  than 
of  yore  to  paint  pictures  so  large  that  no  ordinary  gallery  can  contain 
them.  The  famous  artists  like  Meissonier.  De  Neuville,  Detaille.  and 
others  of  the  same  school  of  art,  usually  conline  themselves  to  the  repre- 
sentations of  scenes  and  incidents,  rather  than  to  an  entire  field  of  hat- 
tie,  and  Meissonier  was  especially  fond  of  making  single  figures  or  small 
groups  of  soldiers.  His  paintings  are  celebrated  for  their  almost  micro- 
scopic fineness,  and  they  seem  at  times  to  have  been  done  with  the  point 
of  an  engraving-tool  rather  than  with  a  brush  dipped  in  pigment.  The 
other  artists  who  have  been  mentioned  fall  but  little  behind  him  in  the 
exactness  of  their  work,  and  their  reputation  is  of  the  highest  class. 

"  A  gentleman  who  visited  Aleissonier*s  studio  told  me  that  the  great 
artist  devoted  much  time  and  study  to  laying  out  his  picture  before 
touching  his  brush  upon  the  canvas.  If  he  was  about  to  paint  a  single 
figure,  he  procured  every  part  of  the  dress  down  to  the  smallest  detail, 
and  he  was  known  to  spend  hours  in  obtaining  and  arranging  the 
proper  shoestrings  for  his  model.  Take  the  painting  representing  a 
vedette,  for  example.  The  artist  obtained  the  uniform  and  ecpiipment 
from  the  proper  authorities :  rifle,  sabre,  coat,  blanket,  canteen,  saddle- 
bag, all  were  collected  and  placed  upon  the  lay-figure,  which  was  built 
up  to  a  proper  fit  for  the  garments.  Then  the  lay-figure  or  model  of 
the  horse  was  brought  into  use.  but  not  till  the  proper  saddle  and  bridle 
had  been  obtained.  The  man  was  mounted  on  the  horse,  and  then  the 
positions  for  the  hands  of  the  man,  and  the  heads,  feet,  and  bodies  of 
horse  and  rider,  were  carefully  studied  hour  after  hour  and  day  after 
day.  Xot  till  everything  was  satisfactory  did  the  artist  begin  his  work ; 
when  it  was  completed  it  was  a  perfect  reproduction  of  the  model 
standing  in  his  studio,  with  the  ground  and  grasses  and  evervthing- 
else  drawn  in  their  proper  places. 

"  I  asked  my  friend  what  the  artist  did  in  painting  a  group  or  a 
scene  where  there  were  figures  behind  one  another.     Here  is  his  reply : 

"  '  He  took  the  required  number  of  models,  and  grouped  them  till  they 
were  in  the  positions  he  desired.  The  figures  that  he  used  for  backgrounds 
were  smaller  than  those  for  the  front,  and  he  had  them  graded  in  size  so 
that  he  could  form  an  actual  group,  whether  there  were  few  or  many 
persons  represented,  by  means  of  these  little  figures.  I  was  one  da}*  in 
his  studio,  where  he  was  busy  with  the  composition  of  a  picture  repre- 
senting a  regiment  on  the  march.  By  means  of  these  little  figures  he 
constructed  the  picture  exactly  as  he  wanted  to  reproduce  them.  In 
this  way  he  arranged  all  the  details  of  the  perspective,  so  that  he  would 


STUDIO   HELPS. 


157 


not  be  likely  to  make  any  mistake  in  placing  the  scene  upon  canvas,  and 
his  next  care  was  to  try  the  effect  of  the  light  when  thrown  in  from 
the  different  quarters  of  the  sky.  By  means  of  screens,  which  were 
moved  here  and  there  at  his  directions,  he  obtained  in  time  the  desired 
light,  and  not  till  then  was  his  preparation  complete.' " 

One  da}',  in  the  gallery  of  the  Louvre,  Frank  met  an  old  schoolmate, 
Harry  Davis,  whom  he  had  not  seen  for  a  year  or  more.  They  were 
glad  to  meet,  and  the  presence  of  young  Davis  in  Paris  was  explained 


tL  the  vedette." — [Meissouier.] 


158 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


ROSA    BONHEOR. 


by  the  fact  that  he  had  turned  his  attention  to  art,  and  was  located 
there  for  the  purpose  of  studying  it.  "  I'm  not  living  in  Paris."  said  he, 
"  but  at  Ecouen,  which  is  half  an  hour's  ride  from  Paris  on  the  Northern 

Railway  of  France." 

"Why  do  you  live  there  in- 
stead of  in  the  capital '."  Frank 
asked. 

'•  The  fact  is,"  replied  Davis, 
"living  is  cheaper  tbere  than  in 
the  city.  I  am  living  at  the 
hotel,  where  I  pay  only  twenty 
francs  a  month  for  my  room,  and 
a  very  fair  one  it  is.  too ;  and  a 
o'ood  dinner  costs  onlvtwo  francs. 


You  can  hire  a  good  house  in 
Ecouen  for  a  hundred  dollars  a 
year — a  house  large  enough  for 
four  to  live  in  comfortably — and 
a  servant  to  care  for  it  and  cook 
your  meals  will  cost  a  great  deal 
less  than  a  similar  servant  would  cost  in  the  city.  Four  or  five  club- 
bing together  can  live  for  what  they  would  starve  on  in  Xew  York  or 
any  other  American  city ;  but  of  course  they  can't  have  more  than  the 
necessities  of  life,  with  none  of  the  luxuries." 

Mrs.  Bassett  and  Mary  listened  with  interest  to  the  young  man's 
account  of  life  at  Ecouen.  Before  they  separated  the  former  asked  if 
the  hotel  would  accommodate  their  entire  party  in  case  they  should  wish 
to  visit  the  town  which  he  had  described  as  a  haunt  and  home  of  artists. 
"Perhaps  it  would  be  injudicious  for  you  to  drop  in  there  without 
warning,"  said  Mr.  Davis,  "  as  the  hotel  is  not  by  any  means  the  largest 
in  the  world,  and  they  are  unaccustomed  to  a  sudden  influx  of  strangers. 
But  if  you  will  name  a  day  when  you  will  be  there  I  will  arrange  that 
you  can  see  the  place  and  be  properly  cared  for." 

Mrs.  Bassett  thanked  him  for  his  courteous  offer,  and  it  was  arranged 
that  they  would  visit  Ecouen  two  days  later,  provided  the  weather 
should  be  favorable.  In  case  of  rain  they  would  come  on  the  first  suc- 
ceeding fair  day,  and  would  notify  him  by  telegraph  when  they  were 
about  to  start. 

They  went  there  accordingly.  For  an  account  of  the  visit  we  will 
rely  upon  Mary,  who  was  the  historian  of  the  occasion. 


A  GLIMPSE   OF  ECOUEN. 


159 


"  We  expected  that  the  railway  train  would  take  us  directly  to  the 
village,  but  when  we  alighted  at  the  station  it  proved  to  be  fully  a  mile 
from  where  we  wanted  to  go.  But  we  had  a  delightful  drive  from  the 
station  to  the  village,  and  were  not  at  all  sorry  for  the  distance ;  in  fact, 
we  would  not  have  objected  had  it  been  three  or  four  miles  instead  of 
one.  On  both  sides  of  the  road  there  are  luxuriant  fields  and  picturesque 
houses,  some  of  them  very  old,  for  Ecouen  is  not  by  any  means  a  modern 
settlement.  There  is  an  old  chateau  here,  and  it  occupies  the  site  of  one 
that  was  built  in  the  fifth  century.  In  fact,  some  of  the  old  walls  are 
in  existence,  and  were  useful  for  the  architects  when  they  reconstructed 
the  castle  more  than  three  hundred  years  ago. 

"  We  found  the  town  a  very  quaint  looking  one,  with  narrow  streets, 
where  it  is  not  easy  to  go  with  vehicles  because  the  streets  were  laid  out 
before  wheeled  carriages  were  in  use.  There  is  an  old  church  in  Ecouen 
which  Frank  says  has  been  somewhat  spoiled  by  the  restorations  of  the 


"PLOUGHING   IX    NIVERSAIS." — [Rosa  Boubeur.] 


past  few  years,  but  there  is  enough  of  its  old  character  remaining  to 
make  it  very  charming.  Close  by  it  there  is  an  old  chestnut-tree.  The 
tradition  is  that  it  is  nearly  four  hundred  years  old,  which  seems  to  me 
a  very  great  age  for  a  tree ;  but  Fred  says  he  has  heard  of  '  chestnuts ' 
very  much  older.  Wonder  what  he  means  when  he  lays  such  an  em- 
phasis upon '  chestnuts  V 

"  The  chateau  stands  on  a  hill  that  commands  a  fine  view  of  Ecouen 
and  the  country  around  it.  I  expected  to  find  it  in  ruins,  like  a  good 
many  other  castles  in  France,  but  found,  somewhat  to  my  surprise,  that 


160        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

it  is  occupied,  though  not  by  a  princely  family,  as  it  was  in  the  olden 
times.  It  is  a  convent  school  for  the  daughters  of  members  of  the  Legion 
of  Honor,  where  they  are  educated  to  fit  them  to  be  governesses  in  fam- 
ilies or  companions  of 
noble  ladies  who  can 
afford  to  pay  for  their 
services.  The  Legion 
of  Honor  owns  a  great 
deal  of  property  and 
has  a  large  income,  so 
that  it  pays  pensions 
to  such  of  its  members 
as  need  them,  and  sup- 
ports this  school,  and 
also  another  at  St. 
Denis,  nearer  Paris. 

'•  It  didn't  take  long 
for  us  to  find  out  why 
Ecouen  is  so  attractive 
to  art  students,  in  ad- 
dition to  the  cheapness 
of  living  here.    Every- 
where you  turn  there 
is  something  that  can 
be    converted    into    a 
pretty   picture:   the 
houses,   trees,    fences, 
all    are    picturesque ; 
and  as  for  the  people, 
they  are  the  very  per- 
fection    of    what    an 
artist    ought    to     de- 
light   to    paint.      The 
reputation  of  the  place  was  made  by  Edouard  Frere,  whose  name  is 
familiar  to  the  art-loving  world.     He  is  an  old  man  now  and  has  spent 
nearly  all  his  life  in  this  little  town.     He  was  born  in  1819,  and  soon 
after  beginning  to  paint  he  came  to  Ecouen  and  established  himself.    He 
was  very  poor  then,  and  had  his  reputation  to  make;  and  the  story  is 
that  he  suffered  the  pinchings  of  poverty  for  a  good  while  before  the 
merit  of  his  work  was  discovered  and  his  pictures  found  a  sale. 


CHATEAU    OF    ECOUEN. 


GOSSIP  ABOUT  EDOUARD   FRERE. 


161 


"  Our  friend,  Mr.  Davis,  sa)~s  Frere  was  always  very  kind  to  young 
artists,  and  that  is  one  reason  of  the  great  popularity  of  Ecouen  with 
the  beginners  in  art.  In  Paris  the  artists  do  not  cultivate  each  other's 
acquaintance  very  much,  partly  because  they  are  in  such  a  large  city, 
and  partly  owing  to  their  numerous  jealousies  and  struggles  for  promi- 
nence. Here  the  example  of  the  oldest  and  best  known  of  them  has  its 
effect  on  the  others,  and  all  are  on  terms  of  intimate  friendship,  or,  at 
all  events,  of  friendliness.  They  visit  each  other  at  their  studios,  and  on 
Sundays  it  is  the  custom  for  all  of  them  to  call  on  the  Frere  family, 
where  they  are  hospitably  received  and  entertained.  During  the  week 
the  artists  with  families  have  each  an  evening  for  the  reception  of 
friends,  who  drop  in  without  ceremony,  stay  and  chat  a  little  while,  and 


CHIALIVA  S   STtFDIO,  EOOCES. 


11 


162       THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

then,  perhaps,  hasten  off  to  another  reception.    We  have  been  at  two  of 
these  receptions,  and  found  them  very  pleasant. 

"  Several  of  the  artists  of  Ecouen  are  well  known  among  picture 
buyers,  and  their  works  bring  prices  that  enable  the  painters  to  live  in 
good  style.  Mr.  Davis  took  us  to  several  studios,  including  that  of  Mr. 
Todd,  an  American;  Mr.  Schenck,  famous  as  a  painter  of  animals;  and 
Mr.  Chialiva,  an  Italian  who  has  lived  in  America  and  has  an  American 
wife.  Mr.  Chialiva's  studio  is  such  a  curious  one  that  I  must  stop  right 
here  to  describe  it  as  well  as  I  can  : 

"  All  of  this  gentleman's  pictures  contain  horses,  sheep,  geese,  cattle, 
pigeons,  or  other  domestic  animals,  and  he  has  his  studio  arranged  so 
that  he  can  have  his  models  before  him.  It  is  like  a  great  conservatory, 
but  it  hasn't  any  flowers  and  the  other  things  peculiar  to  a  conservatory. 
At  one  end  there  is  a  space  separated  by  glass  from  the  rest,  and  in  the 
part  beyond  the  glass  he  has  his  animals  that  he  is  painting  into  his 
pictures.  Sheep,  cattle,  horses  feel  perfectly  at  home  there,  as  they  are 
always  kindly  treated.  The  wife  of  his  peasant  farmer  acts  as  his  assist- 
ant when  he  wants  any  of  the  animals  or  birds  kept  in  position  for  him, 
and  they  are  so  accustomed  to  her  that  they  do  almost  anything  she 
wishes.  She  holds  the  geese,  turkeys,  and  pigeons  for  him,  anil  they 
recognize  that  she  will  not  hurt  them ;  they  run  to  her  when  she  calls, 
and  some  of  them  almost  act  as  though  they  knew  they  were  being  used 
as  models  for  the  artist  and  it  is  necessary  for  them  to  keep  very  quiet. 

"  Sometimes  he  wants  to  paint  geese  or  ducks  in  a  pond  or  lake. 
The  place  where  his  models  are  to  stand  or  swim  is  then  flooded  with 
water,  and  in  this  way  he  gets  the  reflections  on  the  water  just  as  he 
wants  them  in  his  picture. 

"All  the  peasants  around  Ecouen  are  accustomed  to  the  artists,  and 
many  of  them  have  stood  as  models  at  one  time  or  another.  A  child  as 
a  model  costs  only  a  franc  a  day,  and  a  man  or  woman  two,  or  perhaps 
three  francs.  As  the  cost  of  models  in  Xew  York  is  fifty  cents  an  hour, 
you  can  readily  see  how  much  cheaper  it  is  for  one  to  paint  here  than 
on  Manhattan  Island.  The  peasants  are  very  glad  to  act  as  models  in- 
stead of  working  in  the  fields,  as  their  days  are  much  shorter,  and  it  is 
far  easier  to  stand  or  sit  in  the  positions  recmired  by  the  artists  than  to 
toil  in  the  heat  of  the  sun  or  in  pouring  rain. 

"  The  town  is  surrounded  by  fields  and  gardens,  as  you  already 
know,  and  we  have  been  interested  in  studying  the  way  the  people  work 
and  live.  The  peasants  go  to  their  work  at  four  or  five  o'clock  in  the 
morning ;  they  have  a  rest  of  an  hour  at  mid-day,  and  then  they  return 


EDUCATION   IN   FRANCE. 


163 


to  their  work  until  eight  or  even  nine  o'clock.     There  is  no  labor  union 
here  to  make  a  limit  of  eight  or  even  ten  hours  to  a  clay's  labor.    If  one 
of  these  peasants  should  refuse  to  work  the  required  time  in  the  fields 
it  is  probable  that  his 
employer  would  not 
require   his  services. 
Think   of   it:  working 
twelve  hours  for  sixty 
cents,  or  five  cents  an 


hour!  ISTo  wonder  the 
laborers  never  appear 
to  be  in  a  hurry ;  they 
can't  afford  to  at  that 
price. 

"Accidentally,  I 
learned  something 
about  educational  mat- 
ters in  France  while 
talking  with  a  woman 
about  working  in  the 
fields.     She   was   com- 


plaining because  the 
law  required  the  chil- 
dren to  go  to  school. 
and  on  account  of  this 
law  she  was  deprived 
of  the  aid  of  her  chil- 
dren in  supporting  the 
family.  Formerly  chil- 
dren worked  at  some- 
thing suited  to  their 
age,  or  acted  as  models 
for  artists ;  but  at  pres- 
ent they  must  be  sent 
to  school,  unless  too  ill 

to  attend.  If  a  child  is  kept  from  school  to  earn  money  in  any  way, 
its  parents  are  liable  to  a  fine  of  ten  francs  for  each  offence.  The 
woman  said  that  they  did  not  have  any  such  arbitrary  laws  when  she 
was  a  child,  and  she  didn't  see  why  there  should  have  been  any  change. 
"  I  asked  Frank  about  education  in  France,  and  he  savs  that  since 


STKEET    IN    ECOUEN. 


164 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


March,  1882,  primary  education  lias  been  compulsory,  every  child  be- 
tween six  and  thirteen  years  of  age  being  required  to  attend  school. 
This  education  is  free,  and  is  paid  for  by  taxation,  just  as  in  the  free- 
school  system  of  the  United  States.  To  show  the  change  that  has  come 
over  France  in  this  matter  since  the  time  of  the  second  empire,  Frank 
says  that  in  1S57  the  amount  of  public  funds  of  all  kinds  devoted  to 
primary  instruction  was  16,000,000  francs;  in  1878  it  was  59,000,000; 
and  in  1888  it  reached  150,000,000.  About  6,000,000  children  are 
taught  in  the  primary  and  infant  schools,  78,000  in  higher  schools, 
10,000  are  taught  at  home,  and  about  10,000  are  in  the  highest  schools 
and  universities.  There  are  now  very  few  untaught  children  in  France, 
and  the  probabilities  are  that  before  another  five  years  have  rolled  away 
education  will  be  as  general  as  it  is  in  the  United  States. 

"  One  of  the  laws  about  education  says  that  after  a  certain  date  all 
the  schools  shall  be  in  charge  of  laymen  —  that  is,  they  shall  not  be 
managed  as  heretofore  by  the  priests  or  clergymen  of  religious  denom- 
inations. And  this  reminds  me  that  Frank  says  all  religions  are  on 
the  same  footino-,  no  matter  what  they  are;  and  any  religion  that  has 
more  than  10,000  adherents  is  entitled  to  a  grant  of  money  from  the 
Government.     The  Roman  Catholics,  Protestants,  Jews,  and   Moslems 


GLEANERS    IN    THE    FIELDS. 


PEASANT  LIFE  IN   THE   COUNTRY.  165 

are  the  only  religious  bodies  that  receive  State  grants.  The  Catholics  are 
the  most  numerous,  being  78  per  cent,  of  the  population,  and  therefore 
they  receive  the  largest  allowances  from  the  Government ;  the  Protes- 
tants are  only  about  2  per  cent.,  and  there  are  but  53,000  Jews  in  France, 
according  to  the  statistics.  At  the  last  census  there  were  more  than 
7,000,000  inhabitants  who  declined  to  make  any  statement  as  to  their 
religious  belief.  This  was  the  first  census  where  non  prqfesscmts  were 
registered,  all  of  them  having  formerly  been  put  down  as  Catholics.  The 
Moslems  are  all  in  Algeria,  and  there  are  about  3,000,000  of  them  alto- 
gether. The  Moslem  children  are  not  required  to  go  to  school  like 
those  of  France ;  but  Moslem  worship  has  its  allowance  from  the  Govern- 
ment, just  like  other  forms  of  religion. 

"  In  our  excursions  into  the  country  we  have  seen  the  people  at  work 
in  the  fields  in  all  the  various  employments  of  agriculture  at  this  season 
of  the  year.  In  some  fields  the  ploughs  were  at  work  ;  in  others  the  grain 
was  being  harvested,  men  and  women  working  side  by  side  with  their 
sickles,  or  binding  the  sheaves  of  the  grain  after  it  had  been  sufficiently 
dried  in  the  sun.  In  another  field  the  gleaners  were  busy  gathering  the 
scattered  grain  that  in  America  is  generally  allowed  to  go  to  waste. 
Frank  says  the  reason  of  this  is  that  the  price  of  labor  in  America  is  so 
high  that  gleaners  cannot  make  the  same  wages  that  they  would  re- 
ceive for  ordinary  work,  and  therefore  gleaning  is  unprofitable. 

"Along  the  road  we  encounter  groups  of  peasants  going  to  their 
work  or  returning  from  it.  Most  of  these  groups  were  silent,  and 
seemed  intent  only  on  reaching  their  destination,  whatever  it  might  be, 
and  their  subjects  of  conversation  were  evidently  very  limited ;  but  oc- 
casionally their  tongues  were  wagging  rapidly.  "We  saw  three  bare- 
footed women  walking  together  and  chatting  at  a  great  rate ;  and  so 
intent  were  they  on  their  conversation  that  they  paused  every  few  min- 
utes and  stood  still  in  the  road.  Frank  said  the  earnestness  of  their 
talk  and  the  force  required  for  propelling  their  tongues  had  evidently 
paralyzed  their  walking  powers  and  brought  them  to  a  halt. 

"  If  we  had  not  known  already  that  there  were  a  good  many  artists 
in  Ecouen,  we  should  have  found  it  out  when  we  went  into  the  country 
outside  the  town.  "We  met  them  very  often  with  their  sketching  ma- 
terials, carried  by  small  boys  and  sometimes  by  full-grown  men.  We 
saw  them  in  the  fields  among  the  peasants,  seated  under  trees,  where 
they  had  nice  bits  of  landscape  before  them,  or  watching  domestic  ani- 
mals grazing  or  resting  in  picturesque  positions,  and  entirely  uncon- 
scious that  they  were  being  used  as  models.     Mr.  Davis  says  the  artists 


160 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


go  out  in  all  kinds  of  weather  to  make  their  sketches,  and  if  it  is  cold 
and  windy  they  wrap  themselves  in  sheepskins  and  rugs  to  keep 
warm.     Mr.  Frere  has  a  small  cart,  which  is  something  like  a  Japanese 


GOSSIP    ON    THE    ROAD. 


jinrikisha,  and  drawn  by  one  man ;  it  has  a  high  back  and  top.  and  the 
artist  can  sit  there  and  sketch  in  wind  or  rain  or  snow,  and  be  quite  com- 
fortable, provided,  of  course,  he  has  his  back  turned  to  the  storm. 

"  Well,  we've  spent  three  days  here,  and  very  comfortable  and  inter- 
esting days  thev  have  been.  Frank  has  just  asked  for  the  hotel  bill, 
and  says  he  is  suspicious  that  they  will  make  it  out  at  Paris  rates,  as  he 

did  not  take  the  precaution  to  bargain  closely Here  it  comes,  and  an 

inspection  of  it  shows  that  Frank  was  not  altogether  wrong  in  his  ex- 
pectations; though,  after  all.  the  prices  are  such  that  we  have  no  reason 
for  complaining.  Mr.  Davis  says  the  place  is  being  spoiled  by  the  visits 
of  strangers,  and  in  a  few  years  it  will  probably  lose  much  of  its  dis- 
tinctive character.  Already  some  of  the  peasants  are  adopting  the  dress 
of  Paris,  and  giving  up  the  costumes  that  characterize  them.  Many  of 
them  have  abandoned  the  wooden  shoes,  which  were  so  long  the  pecul- 
iar property  of  the  peasant  in  all  parts  of  Europe,  and  wear  shoes  or 
boots  of  leather  instead.  In  other  ways  the  people  are  becoming  mod- 
ernized, and  we  are  glad  to  have  seen  the  place  before  the  old-fashioned 
habits  have  disappeared." 


THE  FRENCH   ACADEMY. 


167 


CHAPTER   X. 

ONE  OF  THE  "IHilORTALS;"  MRS.  BASSETT'S  DOUBTS  CONCERNING  HIM. —THE 
FRENCH  ACADEMY,  AND  THE  INSTITUTE  OF  FRANCE  ;  ATTENDING  A  MEETING 
OF  THE  ACADEMY.— DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  "IMMORTALS." —THE  ILLUSTRIOUS 
FORTY;  ADVANTAGES  OF  MEMBERSHIP  AND  DIFFICULTY  OF  OBTAINING  IT; 
HOW  ELECTIONS  ARE  CONDUCTED.— THE  ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES.— THE  FAMOUS 
DICTIONARY;  TWELVE  HUNDRED  YEARS  FOR  ITS  COMPLETION.— A  GATHERING 
OF  DISTINGUISHED  FRENCHMEN.— PROCEEDINGS  AT  A  MEETING.— PLACE  AND 
ARCH  OF  THE  CARROUSEL.— THE  PORTE  SAINT-DENIS  AND  PORTE  SAINT- 
MARTIN— A  DISSERTATION  ON  TRIUMPHAL  ARCHES.  — VISIT  TO  THE  ARC  DE 
TRIOMPHE  DE  L'ETOILE.— REMINISCENCES  OF  THE  SIEGE  OF  1871. 

OiSIE  day  as  our  friends  were  seated  in  front  of  the  Cafe  de  la  Paix 
they  were  joined  by  a  gentleman  who  had  resided  for  several 
years  in  Paris,  and  knew  the  faces  of  many  prominent  personages. 
While  they  were  talking  he  suddenly  called  attention  to  a  venerable 
individual  who  was  passing  along  the  boulevard,  engaged  in  earnest 
conversation  with  a  man  much  younger  than  himself. 


TOTING    AT    THE    INSTITUTE    OF    FRANCE. 


108       THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

Mrs.  Bassett  remarked  that  the  man  win  mi  he  designated  was  cer- 
tainly very  old,  though  he  walked  with  an  easy  step. 

"Yes,  he  looks  very  old,"  said  the  gentleman,  "and  probably  has 
more  than  eighty  years  to  his  credit."  Then  after  a  pause  he  added, 
"  That  is  one  of  the  '  Immortals."  " 

There  was  an  inquiring  or  doubting  look  in  Mrs.  Bassett*s  eyes, 
which  indicated  her  reluctance  to  believe  that  the  venerable  stranger 
was  endowed  with  more  than  human  attributes.  Seeing  her  perplexity, 
the  gentleman  hastened  to  relieve  it. 

"  The  members  of  the  French  Academy  are  called  '  Immortals,"  and 
the  man  who  just  passed  is  one  of  them,"'  he  explained.  "  There  are 
forty  of  them  altogether,  and  the  forty  men  thus  distinguished  are,  in  a 
certain  wa}T,  the  most  envied  men  in  France." 

"  Why  is  that  ?" 

••  Because,"  was  the  reply,  "the  requirements  of  membership  in  the 
Academy  are  very  severe,  and  every  member  must  be  prominent  in  the 
world  of  literature  in  one  way  or  another.  Xo  one  can  be  elected  to 
the  Academy  unless  he  has  achieved  distinction,  and  there  can  be  no 
more  than  forty  members.  It  is  a  select  club  of  forty  Frenchmen,  whom 
all  the  other  men  of  France  are  supposed  to  regard  with  the  greatest 
respect  and  envy  at  all  times." 

Mrs.  Bassett  thought  it  was  very  selfish  on  the  part  of  the  forty 
"Immortals"  to  be  so  exclusive,  and  refuse  to  admit  any  one  else  to 
their  circle.  The  rest  of  the  party  agreed  with  her ;  but  her  informant 
said  there  were  sessions  of  the  Academy  four  times  a  year,  when  the 
outside  world  could  be  present  at  their  deliberations.  If  she  would 
like  to  so  there  he  thought  he  had  sufficient  influence  to  obtain  tickets 
for  the  party,  and  there  was  to  be  a  public  session  in  a  very  few  days. 

It  was  decided  that  a  meeting  of  the  Academy  was  one  of  the  at- 
tractions of  Paris,  and  an  opportunity  like  the  one  presented  was  not 
to  be  refused.  The  gentleman  said  he  would  let  them  know  in  a  day 
or  so  whether  he  would  be  able  to  procure  the  tickets.  They  were  to  be 
had  only  through  the  favor  of  the  members  themselves,  and  as  he  knew 
several  of  them  he  thought  he  would  be  able  to  arrange  the  matter. 

Then  he  explained  that  the  general  public  who  sought  admission  to 
the  sessions  were  obliged  to  go  several  hours  in  advance,  and  wait  pa- 
tiently until  the  doors  were  opened.  Their  tickets  had  no  numbers, 
and  each  ticket-holder  made  a  rush  for  the  best  seat  he  could  find  as 
soon  as  the  doors  swung  apart  to  admit  the  crowd.  But  the  tickets 
which  he  hoped  to  obtain  were  for  the  reserved  space  in  the  centre  of 


AMONG   THE  "IMMORTALS. 


169 


the  room  where  the  session  was 
held,  and  not  for  the  gallery  to 
which  only  the  ordinary  public  is 
admitted  to  see  the  show. 

"  When  I  first  came  to  Paris,'1 
said  he,  "  I  wanted  to  attend  a 
session  of  the  Academy  and  see 
the  great  men  assembled  there.  I 
did  not  know  anybody  of  influ- 
ence, and  so  took  my  chances 
with  the  crowd,  standing  in  line 
for  nearly  four  hours,  and,  finally, 
almost  breaking  my  neck  in  the 
rush  for  places. 
But  I  obtained 
what  I  want- 
ed, and  had  a 
sight  of  the 
'  Immortals' 
dressed  in  the 
finery  which 
they  are  ex- 
pected to  wear 
at  their  public 
sessions.  Their 
uniforms  for 
these  sessions 
are  richly  em- 
broidered with 
gold  and  trim- 
med with  lace ; 
some  of  the 
members  rath- 
er irreverently 
speak  of  'put- 
ting on  parsley '  when  they  don  their  gorgeous  garments.  These  uni- 
forms have  been  in  fashion  from  a  time  beyond  the  memory  of  most 
living  men,  as  they  were  decreed  by  Napoleon  I.  Many  of  the  mem- 
bers would  gladly  give  up  wearing  them,  but  they  adhere  to  the  custom 
just  because  it  is  a  custom." 


Ik-sv5^ 


HATS  OF  THE  FRENCH  ACADEMY. 


170 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


In  reply  to  a  question  as  to  when  the  Academy  was  established, 
Frank  explained  that  it  dated  from  the  year  1635,  when  it  was  founded 
by  Cardinal  Richelieu,  and  he  sagely  added  that  none  of  the  original 
members  belonged  to  it  at  present.  lie  further  explained  that  the 
French  Academy  was  one  of  the  five  academies  that  compose  the  In- 
stitute of  France,  and  they  all  have  their  home  in  a  large  building  on 
the  south  bank  of  the  Seine  fronting  the  Louvre. 

"I  suppose  that  these  academies  are  supported  by  the  Government, 
like  the  schools  of  art  that  you  told  us  about  ?" 

"  Yes,  they  have  the  sanction  of  the  Government  for  their  existence, 
and  they  have  quite  a  revenue  from  property  that  has  been  given  to 
them  by  the  Government  or  individuals  from  time  to  time.  Each  mem- 
ber has  an  allowance  or  salary  of  1500  francs  yearly,  and  each  secre- 
tary has  6000  francs  for  his  services  every  twelve  months.  Then  each 
member  gets  twenty  francs  for  every  meeting  that  he  attends.  The 
ordinary  meetings  are  held  once  a  week,  and  no  outsiders  are  admitted 
to  them  under  any  pretence  Avhatever." 

"  What  do  they  do  at  those  meetings  2"  Mary  asked. 
"  The  French  Academy,  which  is  the  best  known  of  the  five  acade- 
mies composing  the  Institute,  is  supposed  to  occupy  itself  with  a  dic- 
tionary of  the  French  language.     The  members  have  been  working  for 
forty  years  or  more  upon  the  dictionary,  but  it  has  not  yet  appeared." 
"  It  must  be  a  very  large  dictionary  to  take  so  long  a  time  to  make 

it,"  said  Mrs.  Bassett, 
"and  it  oujjlit  to  be 
a  very  important  one 
whenever  it  is  pub- 
lished." 

"  Yes,  it  will  be 
very  valuable  when  it 
appears,"  said  Frank, 
with  a  laugh.  "  One 
of  the  members  is  au- 
thority for  the  state- 
ment that  its  prepara- 
tion will  take  not  less 
than  twelve  hundred 
years.  In  point  of  fact, 
the  general  belief  is 
dr.  Charcot.  that  the  dictionary  is 


THE  MYTHICAL   DICTIONARY. 


171 


a  myth,  and  the  pretence  of  working  upon  it  is  kept  up  in  order  to  com- 
ply with  the  decree  of  the  Convention  by  which  the  Academy  was  re- 
organized in  1803,  after  its  temporary  suppression  during  the  Revolu- 
tion. That  decree  announced  that  the  Academy  was  especially  charged 
with  making  a  dictionary  of  the  French  tongue,  and  that  it  should  ex- 


^';! 


A    LECTURE    AT    THE    ACADEMY    OF    SCIENCES. 


amine  important  works  of  history,  literature,  and  science,  and  publish 
the  results  of  its  critical  observations  at  least  four  times  a  year.  In 
point  of  fact,  no  dictionary  is  being  written,  and  the  Academy  does  not 
publish  critical  observations  of  any  kind. 

'•  The  private  and  weekly  sessions  are  probably  devoted  to  gossip  and 
cigars,"  said  the  gentleman  who  had  started  the  conversation  about  the 
Academy,  "  while  the  public  sessions  are  the  occasions  for  introducing 
new  members  and  awarding  certain  prizes  which  are  in  the  gift  of  the 
Academy.  If  there  is  a  new  member  introduced  he  reads  a  fulsome 
eulogy  on  his  predecessor,  and  is  then  made  the  subject  of  a  speech  of 
reception,  in  which  a  great  many  impolite  things  are  said  in  a  very 
polite  way.  The  victim  must  hear  it  all  with  a  smile,  though  it  must 
sometimes  try  his  temper  a  good  deal. 

"  And  this  reminds  me,"  he  continued,  "  that  every  applicant  for 


172        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

membership  is  obliged  to  go  around  and  ask  all  the  members  for  the 
favor  of  his  vote." 

"  Do  you  mean  that  he  goes  around  among  them  at  the  meeting 
where  his  name  is  to  be  considered,  or  does  he  call  on  them  separately  ?" 

••  lie  calls  upon  each  one  at  his  home  or  place  of  business.  The  rea- 
son for  the  adoption  of  this  rule  is  that  on  one  occasion  a  newly-elected 
member  declined  the  honor  conferred  upon  him.  and  since  then  it  has 
been  necessary  for  every  candidate  to  place  himself  on  record  as  willing 
to  accept  in  case  of  election." 

"  It  must  be  somewhat  humiliating  to  a  man  to  go  around  and  ask 
for  votes."  Mary  remarked  ;  and  she  added  the  suggestion  that  probably 
this  condition  prevented  many  men  of  distinction  from  applying  for  a 
place  in  the  Academy. 

"It  is  certainly  humiliating  in  a  certain  sense,  but  you  will  see  that 
it  is  not  altogether  so  when  it  is  known  to  be  the  universal  custom. 
Men  of  prominence  in  all  lines  of  hfe  are  pretty  sure  to  have  quarrels 
and  enmities,  and  a  candidate  who  has  quarrelled  with  a  member  of  the 
'  Immortals '  must  either  sink  his  pride  and  make  up  his  quarrel  or  stay 
on  the  outside.  Several  noted  men  have  declined  to  apply  for  member- 
ship because  they  could  not  bring  themselves  to  solicit  favors  of  a  bitter 
enemy.  On  the  other  hand,  the  rule  has  been  the  means  of  restoring 
friendship  between  men  who  have  been  enemies  for  years  and  said  all 
manner  of  rude  things  about  each  other." 

"  Is  the  rule  the  same  in  all  the  other  of  the  academies  composing 
the  Institute  of  France  (" 

"  As  to  that  I  am  unable  to  say  positively,  but  believe  it  is  the  rule 
in  some,  though  not  in  all.  The  most  famous  of  the  academies,  next  to 
the  one  we  have  been  considering,  is  that  of  Sciences.  It  contains  sixty- 
six  ordinary  members,  ten  honorary  ones,  and  one  hundred  foreign  asso- 
ciates and  correspondents.  It  meets  for  its  regular  session  every  Monday 
afternoon,  and  the  members  read  papers  concerning  recent  discoveries  in 
science  and  discuss  various  scientific  questions.  The  most  eminent  men 
of  science  in  France  are  members  of  this  Academv.  and  there  is  srenerallv 
a  good  attendance.  Yice-admiral  Paris,  the  keeper  of  the  Marine  Museum 
in  the  Louvre,  is  one  of  the  first  to  arrive,  and  for  years  he  was  closely 
followed,  or  quite  as  often  preceded,  by  M.  Chevreul.  the  famous  chemist, 
who  made  it  a  point  to  be  present  at  every  session.  Dr.  Brown-Sequard. 
Ferdinand  de  Lesseps.  Faye  the  astronomer.  Dr.  Charcot,  and  several 
other  gentlemen  prominent  in  the  scientific  world,  are.  or  were,  among 
the  active  members  of  the  Academy  of  Sciences  and  prominent  in  the 


ACADEMIES  OF   THE   INSTITUTE. 


173 


discussions.  The  meetings  are  not  especially  orderly,  as  very  few  give 
attention  to  the  ordinary  business  ;  but  when  new  theories  or  discoveries 
in  science  are  presented,  a  hush  comes  over  the  room,  and  everybody  is 
intent  on  hearing  the  illustrious  gentleman  who  is  speaking,  or  more 
likely  reading,  for  the  enlightenment  of  his  associates. 

"  The  other  academies  that  go  to  make  up  the  Institute  are  those  of 
Beaux- Arts,  Inscriptions  et  Belles-Lettres,  and  Sciences  Morales  et  Poli- 


ARRIVAL    OF    VICE-ADMIRAL    PARIS. 


tique.  The  most  important  of  the  three  is  probably  that  of  the  Fine 
Arts,  as  it  is  composed  of  painters,  sculptors,  architects,  and  musical 
composers,  and  has  the  control  of  important  prizes  relating  to  the  various 
arts  which  they  represent.  There  is  no  restriction  upon  the  membership 
of  these  five  academies,  and  a  man  may  belong  to  any  or  all  of  them  if 
he  possesses  the  needed  requirements  and  the  influence  to  secirre  an 
election.  Membership  in  any  one  of  the  academies  entitles  one  to  be 
called  Membre  de  V Institute  and  you  already  know  that  this  is  the  highest 
distinction  which  can  be  given  to  any  Frenchman  of  literary,  musical, 
artistic,  or  scientific  claims." 

Here  the  conversation  on  the  subject  of  the  Institute  came  to  an  end 
as  the  gentleman  rose  to  take  his  leave. 

Mrs.  Bassett  and  her  daughter  waited  with  some  anxiety  for  his  re- 
port relative  to  the  tickets,  and  one  morning  they  were  delighted  with 
the  information  that  the  desired  billets  had  been  secured,  and  admission 
to  the  exalted  assemblage  was  awaiting  them  at  the  appointed  hour. 


174 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IX  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


They  dressed  early  and  elaborately,  as  they  had  been  told  that  the 
affair  was  very  ceremonious,  and  they  felt  that  the  dignity  of  the  Ameri- 
can republic  was  upon  their  shoulders.  A  little  before  one  o'clock  their 
carriage  was  driven  into  the  court-yard  of  the  Institute,  and  they  found 
themselves  preceded  and  followed  by  other  carriages  containing  persons 
of  more  or  less  prominence  (generally  morei  in  the  fashionable  or  culti- 
vated world  of  Paris.  There  were  Academicians  of  much  renown,  and 
some  of  very  little  except  what  their  membership  gives ;  there  were  the 
wives,  sisters,  and  daughters  of  Academicians,  and  the  wives,  sisters,  and 
daughters  of  men  who  hope  to  be  admitted  to  the  Academy  when  the 
proper  vacancies  occur  and  they  can  secure  a  sufficient  number  of  votes: 
there  were  the  ladies  who  give  receptions  to  the  Academicians  on  stated 
occasions  for  the  sake  of  the  glory  they  thereby  obtain,  or  for  other  rea- 
sons best  known  to  themselves,  most  of  them  being  ladies  with  titles  or 
the  members  of  families  long  and  well  known  in  French  society.  For 
a  description  of  the  scene  let  us  copy  a  paragraph  from  an  article  con- 
cerning the  Institute  of  France,  by  a  well-known  American  writer  long 

a  resident  of  Paris  and  familiar 
with  its  many  peculiarities.* 

■•  Here  and  there  are  novel- 
ists, poets,  dramatists,  who  are 
paying  court  to  the  Academy, 
and  hoping  to  get  elected  one  of 
these  days.  Here  is  B..  who  has 
just  had  a  feeble  novel  jobbed 
into  the  Revue  des  Deux  Mondes. 
B.  has  married  a  rich  and  pretty 
wife,  with  a  view  to  opening  an 
Academic  salon  and  so  achieving 
immortality.  His  pretty  wife  is 
beside  him.  in  a  delicious  toilet 
specially  created  for  the  occasion 
by  that  great  artist.  Epinglard. 
She  is  particularly  gracious  to 
Z..  who  has  written  a  few  witty 
pieces,  and  who.  being  rich  and  an  epicure,  is  '  running  for '  the  Academy 
on  the  strength  of  his  good  dinners.  Z.  is  a  rival  who  must  be  con- 
cdiated.     Xext  to  Z.  are   some  pretty  American  girls,  whose  piquant 


A    DISTINGUISHED    MEMBER. 


*  Theodore  Child,  in  Harper's  Magazine  for  March,  1SS9. 


VISITING   THE  ACADEMY.  175 

beauty  and  vivacious  talk  have  won  them  the  protection  of  the  belle 
Madame  P.,  who  also  receives  Academicians  at  dinner,  and  talks  liter- 
ature with  an  awkwardness  as  charming  as  the  natural  gaucherie  with 
which  women  play  at  billiards.  Madame  P.  is  conspicuous  with  her 
royal  blue  velvet  robe,  but  she  is  not  dressed  with  such  good  taste  as 
her  neighbor,  Mile.  P.,  of  the  Comedie  Francaise,  who  happens  to  be 
sitting  near  two  equally  obese  and  famous  men  —  Blowitz,  the  corre- 
spondent of  the  Times,  and  Sarcey,  the  dramatic  critic.  Sarcey  has  been 
present  at  every  Academic  reception  during  the  past  twenty  years,  and 
in  the  evening  he  always  delivers  a  public  lecture  on  the  event,  and 
rereads  fragments  of  the  reception  speeches  as  he  thinks  they  ought  to 
be  read." 

The  day  was  fine  when  our  friends  went  to  the  reception  at  the 
Academy,  and  as  the  various  members  arrived  they  scattered  in  little 
groups,  and  were  evidently  in  no  hurry  to  enter  the  hall  where  the 
ceremony  was  to  take  place.  There  was  a  double  file  of  soldiers  in  the 
vestibule,  to  do  honor  to  the  great  dignitaries  when  they  entered  in 
procession.  The  soldiers  were  jostled  somewhat  by  the  crowd  of  visit- 
ors as  the  latter  found  their  way  to  the  entrance  of  the  hall,  and  were 
shown  to  the  narrow  and  inconvenient  benches  provided  for  seats. 
Mary  whispered  that  the  seats  were  the  same  that  they  had  in  the  hall 
at  the  formation  of  the  Academy,  250  years  ago,  and  Fred  said  he 
thought  they  must  date  back  even  further  than  that.  Mrs.  Bassett 
suggested  that  the  "chairs"  which  the  members  of  the  Academy  are 
supposed  to  occupy  were  not  to  be  seen,  and  she  wondered  if  each  man 
was  to  bring  his  camp-stool  under  his  arm  when  he  arrived. 

Though  the  space  reserved  for  spectators  was  well  filled,  and  every 
moment  becoming  more  so,  while  the  gallery  was  literally  packed  with 
a  well-dressed  and  warm  assemblage,  the  seats  allotted  to  the  members 
were  mostly  empty,  for  the  reason  that  the  Academicians  were  waiting 
for  the  formation  of  the  procession  in  the  court-yard  or  in  the  vestibule. 
It  was  a  few  minutes  past  one  when  a  hush  ran  through  the  audience, 
the  door  of  the  hall  opened,  and  the  procession  entered,  the  dignitaries 
coming  first  in  their  uniforms,  and  the  rest  in  civilian  garb. 

We  will  again  call  upon  Mr.  Child  to  tell  us  some  of  the  names  of 
the  famous  personages  present : 

"  There  is  Dumas,  looking  handsome  and  haughty ;  there  is  Sardou, 
posing  for  a  Holbein  ;  Penan,  whose  features  call  to  mind  those  of  the 
regretted  Hyacinthe  of  the  Palais  Poyal ;  Taine,  whose  obliquity  of 
vision  has  helped  him  to  take  queer  views  of  Xapoleon  and  other  his- 


176        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

torical  characters ;  Gaston  Poissier,  the  mellifluous  cicerone  of  ancient 
Rome ;  John  Lemoine,  Jules  Claretie,  and  Edouard  Ilerve,  who  repre- 
sent journalism;  Leconte  de  Lisle,  Coppee,  and  Sully  Prudhomme,  a 
trinity  of  poets ;  Augier,  whom  the  indulgent  call  the  modern  Moliere ; 

Pailleron  and  Halevy,  who  per- 
sonify the  lighter  stage ;  Jules 
Simon,  Octave  Feuillet,  Camilla 
Doucet,  and  Legouve,  who  consid- 
er the  Academy  to  be  the  centre 
of  the  universe,  and  nothing  less 
than  paradise ;  Pousse,  Duruy, 
Cherbuliez,  Mgr.  Perraud,  De  Les- 
seps.DTIaussonville,  Mezieres,  and 
the  other  Academicians  whose 
names  the  public  can  never  re- 
member." 

The  meeting  lasted  about  two 
hours,  the  time  being  principally 
devoted  to  the  reception  of  new 
members  in  the  manner  already 
described.  After  the  ceremonies 
were  over  the  audience  scattered ; 
at  least  those  who  were  there  out 
of  mere  curiosity  went  away, 
while  the  experienced  ones  re- 
m.  fate,  astronomer.  mained   and  indulged  in  general 

conversation.  As  our  friends 
were  unacquainted  with  any  of  the  great  people  whom  they  had  been 
allowed  to  contemplate  at  a  respectful  distance,  they  called  their  car- 
riage and  were  speedily  rolled  away  from  the  Institute.  As  they  left 
it  behind  them  they  turned  their  thoughts  to  other  subjects. 

Frank  instructed  the  driver  to  cross  the  Seine  by  the  nearest  bridge 
and  take  them  to  the  Place  du  Carrousel.  They  had  not  far  to  go,  as 
the  Institute  and  the  Palace  of  the  Tuileries  are  quite  near  each  other, 
and  the  Place  du  Carrousel  is  the  broad  area  enclosed  in  the  lines  of 
the  latter  edifice  and  the  Louvre.  It  derives  its  name  from  an  out-door 
festival  that  was  given  there  in  lfi62  by  Louis  XI Y.  The  festival  is 
held  there  no  more,  and  is  probably  unknown  to  the  majority  of  Pari- 
sians ;  but  the  large  square  is  constantly  open  to  the  public,  and  forms 
an  important  thoroughfare  from  one  side  of  the  river  to  the  other. 


PLACE  DU   CARROUSEL.  177 

Our  friends  had  seen  the  square  on  their  first  visit  to  the  Louvre  and 
they  had  crossed  it  several  times,  but  on  each  occasion  did  not  stop  to 
examine  it.  Mary  had  expressed  a  desire  to  study  the  spot  when  they 
were  not  pressed  for  time,  and  Frank  suggested  that  they  had  just  then 
a  little  leisure  and  would  embrace  the  opportunity. 

The  triumphal  arch  at  one  side  of  the  Place  was  the  first  object  that 
attracted  the  attention  of  Mrs.  Eassett  and  her  daughter,  and  they  at 
once  asked  about  it,  and  when  it  was  built. 

"  How  very  small  it  looks,"  Mrs.  Bassett  remarked. 

"  Yes,"  replied  Frank,  "  but  it  was  large  enough  when  it  was  erected." 

"  How  do  you  explain  that  ?" 

"Why,  it  was  erected  by  order  of  Napoleon  L,  to  commemorate  his 
victories  of  1S05  and  1806.  When  it  was  placed  here  the  buildings  in 
the  neighborhood  were  small,  and  the  arch  was  of  a  goodly  size  in  com- 
parison. All  those  small  buildings  were  subsequently  removed,  and 
now  the  only  structures  to  make  comparison  with  the  arch  are  the 
larger  ones  of  later  construction." 

The  marble  reliefs  on  the  front  of  the  arch  were  carefully  inspected. 
Frank  explained  that  they  represented  the  famous  battles  of  the  cam- 
paign referred  to,  and  other  incidents  connected  with  those  years.  Then 
he  called  attention  to  the  horses  on  the  top  of  the  arch,  and  said  that 
originally  Napoleon  had  the  arch  crowned  with  the  famous  bronze 
horses  of  Venice,  which  he  brought  home  as  a  trophy  of  his  victory. 
The  horses  were  restored  to  Venice  in  1814,  and  afterwards  their  places 
were  occupied  by  a  more  modern  qua&riga,  designed  by  a  French  sculpt- 
or of  the  time  of  Louis  XVIII. 

Mrs.  Bassett  called  attention  to  the  chains  that  prevented  a  free 
passage  of  vehicles  or  pedestrians  through  the  great  archway ;  she  won- 
dered why  it  was  that  after  building  what  looked  like  a  gateway  the 
builders  prohibited  the  public  from  using  it. 

"  You  are  by  no  means  the  first  who  has  asked  that  question,  and 
it  has  been  discussed  with  a  good  deal  of  earnestness  at  various  times 
in  the  history  of  France.  Most  of  the  great  arches  are  built  in  the 
same  way,  and  it  has  been  explained  that  the  triumphal  arch  is  only 
intended  for  the  passage  of  the  great  personage  in  whose  honor  it  has 
been  made,  together  with  the  soldiers  who  accompany  him  when  he 
returns  from  his  victorious  campaign.  After  that  it  must  be  kept  sacred 
from  the  profanation  of  ordinary  feet,  and  so  it  is  enclosed  against  the 
general  public." 

"  You  pointed  out  another  arch  yesterday,"  said  Mrs.  Bassett,  turn- 

12 


ITS 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


iner  to  Frank  ;  "  I  believe  you  said  it  was  the  Porte  Saint-Denis,  and  it 
seems  to  me  to  have  been  larger  than  this  one." 

"Yes.it  is,"  was  the  reply.  "This  arch  is  only  forty -eight  feet 
high,  while  the  Porte  Saint-Denis  is  eighty-one  feet  from  bottom  to 
top,  and  the  widths  and  depths  of  the  two  arches  are  in  the  same  pro- 
portion.    I  haven't  the  exact  figures." 

"  Which  is  the  older  of  the  two?" 

"  The  Porte  Saint-Denis  is  much  the  older.  It  was  built  in  1672  in 
honor  of  the  victories  of  Louis  XIV.  in  Holland,  and  in  the  lower  part 
of  the  valley  of  the  Khine,  as  the  inscriptions  upon  the  pillars  will  tell 
you.  We  passed  another  triumphal  arch,  the  Porte  Saint-Martin,  not 
very  far  from  the  Porte  Saint-Denis,  as  you  doubtless  remember.  That 
arch  was  built  two  years  later  than  the  Porte  Saint-Denis,  and  with  the 
same  general  object :  the  commemoration  of  the  victories  of  Louis  XIV. 
Those  gates  were  intended  as  entrances  of  the  city  at  the  time  of  their 


.-._-...     •■■-  r 


ARC    DU    CARROUSEL. 


THE  BOULEVARDS   OF   PARIS.  179 

erection,  and  they  were  at  the  line  of  fortifications.  The  boulevards 
were  at  that  time  the  fortifications  of  the  city,  and  were  erected  by 
Louis  XIV.  on  the  line  of  the  old  bulwarks  or  defences.  "With  the  ex- 
tension of  the  city  beyond  its  walls  and  the  increased  range  of  modern 
artillery,  these  fortifications  became  of  no  use,  and  they  were  levelled 
to  give  place  to  the  magnificent  avenues  that  we  now  find  here. 

"  These  avenues  are  generally  called  '  the  grand  boulevards '  to  dis- 
tinguish them  from  the  boulevards  exterieur,  or  outer  boulevards,  which 
follow  the  old  octroi  wall  of  Louis  XIV.,  and  are  about  fifteen  miles 
long-.  Then  there  is  another  line  still  farther  outside  and  following 
the  present  line  of  fortifications ;  these  are  known  as  the  boulevards 
d' 'enceinte  and  consist  of  a  military  road  or  avenue  twenty -one  miles 
long  just  inside  the  defences.  This  road  would  be  very  convenient  for 
the  movements  of  troops  or  stores  in  case  of  a  siege  of  Paris,  and  it  is 
aided  hj  the  Chemin  de  fer  de  Ceinture,  or  Belt  Eailway,  which  runs 
completely  around  the  city  within  the  fortifications." 

"  That  railway  must  be  very  convenient  in  time  of  peace  as  well  as 
in  war,  as  it  connects  with  each  other  all  the  railways  that  come  into 
Paris,"  Mary  remarked,  after  a  moment's  reflection. 

"  Yes,"  replied  Frank,  "  but  there  is  another  system  beyond  it  both 
for  defence  and  commerce.  There  is  a  line  of  forts — in  fact  two  lines 
— surrounding  Paris  at  varying  distances,  and  entirely  detached  from 
each  other,  so  that  one  fort  may  be  held  after  its  neighbor  on  each  side 
is  in  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  The  Chemin  de  fer  de  Grand  Ceinture, 
or  Outer  Belt  Eailway,  unites  these  forts  and  also  all  the  railways  run- 
ning into  Paris.  Through  passengers  and  freight  may  go  directly  past 
the  French  capital  without  coming  into  it.  Suppose  you  are  going  from 
London  to  Brindisi  to  catch  the  steamer  for  India  or  China;  you  step 
on  the  through  train  at  Calais  and  are  carried  to  Brindisi  without 
change  of  cars,  the  train  running  around  Paris  by  the  Outer  Belt  Eail- 
way, and  in  this  way  getting  from  the  northern  line  to  the  southern 
one  on  the  other  side  of  the  city." 

Frank  paused  and  looked  at  his  watch ;  then  he  suggested  that  the 
outer  fortifications  of  Paris  and  the  railway  connections  were  a  long 
way  from  the  Place  du  Carrousel.  Having  satisfied  their  curiosity  rel- 
ative to  the  arch  in  honor  of  the  first  Napoleon,  our  friends  concluded 
to  take  a  drive  on  the  Champs-Elysees,  and  incidentally  embrace  the 
opportunity  to  "  take  in  "  any  of  the  sights  by  the  way. 

"  While  we  are  upon  the  Napoleonic  subject,"  said  Frank,  "  we  will 
look  at  the  much  greater  arch,  that  of  l'Etoile ;  it  is  the  largest  in  the 


180  THE    BOY   TRAVELLERS   IX   CENTRAL  EUROPE 

■world,  and  we   have   al- 


world,  and  we  have  al-      f^i^i,  g.  . 

ready   admired  its  mag-      ?'K^fr*^^-  %  'VV 

nificent  proportions.'             ^!^? -"^'SV  <;\k-i         \      •      •      " 

7S   i  --■■.■    m< 


"l^-^^cra 


corde.  as  we  looked  up  the  Champs- 
Elvsees  in  the  direction  of  the  Bois 
de  Boulogne,  do  you  not '."  queried 
Mrs.  Bassett. 

••  Yes.  that  is  the  one." 
•■  And  is  that  also  in  honor  of  Xa- 
poleon  the  Great  (" 
"  Theoretically  it  is  in  honor  of  the  French  Army ;  but  as  it  was  be- 
gun by  the  great  Xapoleon  in  1806,  when  he  was  at  the  head  of  the 
armv.'he  naturally  comes  in  for  a  good  share  of  the  glory  that  it  com- 


ON    THE    BOULEVARD. 


ARC   DE  TRIOMPHE   DE  L'ETOILE.  181 

meliorates.  It  was  not  finished  until  long  after  his  fall  from  power 
and  his  death  at  St.  Helena.  The  completion  was  accomplished  under 
Louis  Philippe  in  1836,  about  the  time  that  the  ashes  of  Napoleon  were 
brought  to  Paris  and  deposited  in  the  crypt  under  the  dome  of  the 
Invalides,  where  they  now  rest." 

As  they  drove  in  the  direction  of  the  great  arch,  Frank  further  said 
that  the  monument  was  160  feet  high,  146  feet  wide,  and  72  feet  deep, 
and  that  the  arch  in  the  centre  had  a  clear  height  of  67  feet.  "  It  can 
be  seen  from  a  great  distance,"  he  added,  "  as  it  stands  on  an  eminence, 
and  the  top  of  it  gives  an  extensive  view  in  every  direction." 

When  they  reached  the  arch,  Mrs.  Bassett  indicated  a  desire  to  as- 
cend the  staircase  which  leads  to  the  top ;  so  the  party  made  the  ascent. 
They  walked  very  slowly,  in  consequence  of  a  hint  from  Frank  that  it 
was  their  duty  to  accommodate  their  pace  to  suit  his  mother.  Mary 
counted  the  steps,  and  found  there  were  261  of  them  altogether ;  and 
Mrs.  Bassett  pronounced  the  fatigue  of  the  journey  much  less  than  she 
had  expected  it. 

They  all  felt  well  rewarded  for  their  trouble  in  the  magnificent  view 
that  they  had  of  the  great  city.  They  could  trace  the  windings  of  the 
Seine  in  its  course  through  the  city  and  far  beyond  it.  A  guide,  who  had 
attached  himself  to  the  party  after  they  had  reached  the  platform,  in- 
dicated the  various  streets,  avenues,  and  boulevards,  together  with  parks, 
churches,  forts,  and  other  objects  of  interest.  Mary  declared  that  she 
had  a  splendid  lesson  on  the  geography  of  Paris,  and  that  the  view 
from  the  top  of  the  great  arch  had  taught  her  more  than  she  could  have 
learned  in  a  day's  study  of  the  map  of  Paris  and  its  surroundings. 

"What  a  splendid  mark  this  must  have  been  for  the  German  artil- 
lery during  the  siege  of  Paris !"  said  Fred.  "  I  wonder  why  they  didn't 
take  special  pains  to  destroy  it." 

"  It  was  struck  a  few  times,"  Frank  replied,  "  but  had  been  so  en- 
veloped in  straw  and  boards  that  it  suffered  very  little.  The  Germans 
did  not  wish  to  destroy  this  or  any  other  of  the  monuments  of  Paris ; 
the  sole  object  of  their  bombardment  was  to  terrify  the  inhabitants  bv 
keeping  them  in  a  constant  state  of  alarm,  and  in  this  they  succeeded 
very  well.  Shells  dropped  now  and  then  in  all  parts  of  the  city,  oc- 
casionally setting  fire  to  buildings,  but  usually  doing  no  damage.  The 
excitement  and  alarm  were  aided  by  the  scarcity  of  provisions,  which 
soon  reached  a  condition  of  famine.  Food  rose  to  high  figures ;  all  the 
animals  in  the  Jardin  dAcclimatation  were  killed  for  food,  and  so  were 
those  in  the  Jardin  des  Plantes  and  other  menageries.     Horses,  dogs, 


1S2        THE  BUY  TRAVELLERS  IX  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

mice,  rats,  cats,  and  all  other  animals  within  reach  were  utilized  for  the 
table  in  the  hope  that  the  city  could  hold  out  until  relief  came  by  the 
raising  of  the  siege.  But  the  end  came,  and  Paris  was  surrendered, 
as  you  all  know,  on  the  28th  of  January,  1871. 

"  I  can  see  now  why  this  place  is  called  L'Etoile.  or  The  Star,"  said 
Mary,  as  she  pointed  to  the  angles  formed  by  the  twelve  avenues  that 


A  RC    UK    L  ETOILE. 


radiate  from  the  base  of  the  arch.  The  guide  repeated  the  names  of 
these  avenues,  but  the  girl  did  not  note  them  down,  as  she  did  not  re- 
gard them  equally  important.  She  said  she  was  more  interested  in  the 
Champs-Elysees  and  the  Avenue  du  Bois  de  Boulogne  than  in  any  of 
the  others,  which  she  would  leave  to  take  care  of  themselves. 

On  descending,  our  friends  glanced  briefly  at  the  numerous  groups 
and  reliefs  which  adorn  the  structure,  and  at  the  long  list  of  battles 
which  is  presented  on  the  columns  of  the  arch.      Mary  suggested  to 


INSCRIPTIONS   ON  THE   ARCH. 


1S3 


Fred  that  he  ought  to  write  them  out,  but  he  said  it  would  take  too 
long ;  and  if  anybody  wanted  the  list  and  a  description  of  the  statuary 
and  reliefs,  he  could  buy  it  for  a  franc  or  even  less,  and  read  it  at  his 
leisure. 


the  retreat. — [Edouaid  Detaille.] 


184 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


CHAPTER    XI. 

THE  GREATEST  AUCTION-ROOM  IX  THE  WORLD.— VISIT  TO  THE  HOTEL  DROUOT  — 
THE  "MAZAS."— REQUIREMENTS  OF  THE  LAW  CONCERNING  BANKRUPT  SALES. 
—COURT-YARD  OF  THE  HOTEL.— THE  AUCTIONEERS  AND  THEIR  ASSISTANTS.— 
THE  CPdEUR  AND  HIS  DUTIES.— EXPERTS.  AND  SOME  OF  THEIR  BLUNDERS. 
—A  BIT  OF  ACTING.— PERCENTAGES  UPON  SALES.— GREAT  TRANSACTIONS  IN 
VALUABLE  ARTICLES.— FAMOUS  AUCTIONS— AMOUNTS  REALIZED  AT  THE  DEMI- 
DOFF  AND  OTHER  SALES.— HOTEL  FIGARO.— A  CHAT  ABOUT  PARISIAN  NEWS- 
PAPERS.—TREATMENT  OF  THE  PRESS  BY  DIFFERENT  GOVERNMENTS.— WHAT 
THE  PAPERS  CONTAIN.— EDITORIAL  DUELLISTS— DUELS  IN  GENERAL.— FRENCH 
VIEWS  OF  PERSONAL  COMBAT. 


"W 


OULD  you  like  to  see  the  greatest  auction-room  in  the  world  V 
said  Frank,  one  morning  soon  after  the  party  had  assembled 
and  sat  down  to  breakfast. 

"  Certainly  I  would,"  Mrs.  Bassett  responded,  "  though  I  don't  know 

that  I  wish  to  buy  anything  that  is 
for  sale  there.'' 

"  Nor  I  either."  replied  Frank  ; 
'•  but  the  place  is  a  curiosity,  and 
we  certainly  have  nothing  like  it 
in  America."' 

"  Where  is  this  great  auction- 
room ;"  Mary  asked. 

"It  is  at  the  Hotel  Drouot," 
was  the  reply.  "  Don't  understand 
that  it  is  a  hotel  in  the  American 
or  English  sense,  but  rather  in  the 
French  comprehension.  It  is  a 
house  or  establishment  where 
strangers  may  find  entertainment, 
certainly,  but  not  in  the  way  of 
food,  drink,  and  lodging." 

-What    do   they   sell  there?" 

SI.    CHEVALIER,    AUCTIONEER.  CjlierieCl    M&TJ. 


GOING  TO   AN  AUCTION.  185 

"  Everything  you  can  think  of,  almost,  and  a  great  many  things  you 
would  not  be  likely  to  name,  if  you  devoted  your  thoughts  to  the  sub- 
ject for  a  Avhole  week.  You  can  buy  old  clothes  there  suited  for  all 
ages  and  both  sexes,  second-hand  furniture,  old  books,  boots,  and  blank- 
ets, and  you  may  buy  diamonds  and  other  gems  of  great  value,  India 
shawls  of  the  most  exquisite  character  and  of  the  highest  price ;  and  as 
for  pictures,  they  handle  the  works  of  the  old  masters  at  the  Hotel 
Drouot  as  though  they  were  the  affairs  of  every  day." 

It  was  agreed  that  they  would  go  there  some  time  during  the  day. 
And  it  was  further  agreed  that  Frank  should  choose  the  hour  when  the 
place  could  be  seen  to  the  best  advantage. 

"  The  sales  take  place  ever\T  day  between  one  and  six  o'clock,"  said 
Frank.  "  If  we  go  there  about  two  in  the  afternoon  we  will  find  busi- 
ness in  full  progress.  The  sales  of  the  best  pictures  usually  occur  about 
four  o'clock,  so  as  to  suit  the  convenience  of  the  rich  men  and  women 
whose  nights  are  devoted  to  fashion,  so  that  they  sleep  very  late  in 
the  morning.  We  will  start  soon  after  luncheon,  and  that  will  get  us 
to  the  rooms  in  good  season." 

Under  the  escort  of  Fred,  Mrs.  Bassett  and  Mary  went  on  a  shop- 
ping excursion,  while  Frank  busied  himself  with  his  journal,  which  had 
fallen  a  little  in  arrears  during  the  past  two  days.  He  was  determined 
to  bring  it  down  to  date  before  any  further  time  had  elapsed,  and  so 
he  decided  to  remain  in-doors  till  the  rest  of  the  party  returned. 

The  Hotel  Drouot  is  situated  on  the  street  of  the  same  name,  which 
runs  towards  the  north  from  the  point  where  the  Boulevard  des  Italiens 
and  the  Boulevard  Montmartre  come  together.  The  hotel  is  a  large 
and  not  externally  attractive  building,  and  Mrs.  Bassett  was  somewhat 
disappointed  in  its  appearance.  Frank  consoled  her  with  the  suggestion 
that  the  crowd  she  would  see  on  entering  would  be  much  more  dingy 
than  the  outside  of  the  edifice,  as  it  would  be  necessary  for  them  to 
pass  through  the  assemblage  of  dealers  in  old  clothes  and  second-hand 
furniture,  or,  at  all  events,  in  their  immediate  vicinity. 

"  I  wonder  they  allow  these  people  in  a  place  that  is  devoted  to  the 
sale  of  such  fine  things  as  you  mentioned,"  remarked  Mrs.  Bassett,  as 
she  looked  along  the  gallery  and  into  the  court-yard,  where  there  was 
a  congregation  of  people  such  as  one  does  not  usually  care  to  associate 
with  except  by  compulsion. 

"  It  is  owing  to  the  requirements  of  the  law  regarding  disposal  of 
goods  by  auction,  or,  rather,  certain  kinds  of  auctions,"  Frank  answered. 
"All  sales  of  bankrupt  stocks,  of  property  seized  for  debt,  or  otherwise 


186        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

having  a  legal  form,  must  be  in  la  place  pxiblique,  and  in  the  open  air. 
Unless  sales  are  thus  held  they  are  illegal,  and  the  party  whose  goods 
are  disposed  of  can  make  no  end  of  trouble  for  all  concerned.  This 
court-yard  is  open  to  the  public,  and  it  has  no  roof  over  it ;  therefore,  it 
is  in  compliance  with  the  law,  and  nobody  can  make  any  objection. 
Sometimes  they  have  some  very  extensive  sales  here,  when  the  property 
of  distinguished  personages  who  have  been  living  beyond  their  means 
is  seized  by  legal  process,  and,  as  we  would  say  in  America,  ( sold  out 
by  the  sheriff.'  Ordinary  goods  anil  household  property  voluntarily 
disposed  of  may  be  sold  in  one  of  the  rooms  of  the  '  Mazas,'  as  all  the 
lower  part  of  the  Hotel  Drouot  is  called.  If  a  man  is  in  need  of  what- 
ever money  he  can  get  by  the  sale  of  his  furniture,  or  for  any  other  rea- 
son wishes  to  part  with  it,  he  calls  here  any  afternoon  and  gives  the 
order  for  the  sale.  The  next  morning  the  goods  are  brought  here,  and 
in  the  afternoon  they  are  sold  without  reserve.  The  auctioneer  deducts 
his  commission,  which  is  by  no  means  a  light  one,  and  hands  over  the 
balance  of  the  proceeds  to  the  former  owner  of  the  property. 

"  This  is  the  every -day  affair,  and  there  is  always  a  crowd  of  specu- 
lators standing  ready  to  buy  whatever  is  offered,  no  matter  what  it  may 
be.  A  sale  of  this  sort  is  usually  not  advertised  at  all ;  but  if  the  goods 
belong  to  an  individual  of  distinction,  or  notoriety,  which  is  pretty  much 

the  same  thing  in  Paris, 
the  sale  is  fixed  for  a 
certain  day  not  far  off, 
and  is  advertised  in  the 
papers.  The  advertise- 
ments are  sure  to  bring 


a  crowd,  and  sometimes 
you  will  see  one  of  these 
•Mazas'  rooms  filled  with 
fashionable  people  not 
only  from  Paris,  but  from 
London,  Berlin,  Vienna, 
and  other  cities." 

An    auction    was    in 
progress   m  one   of   the 

AN    EXPERT    IN    OLD    COINS.  r         ° 

rooms,  and   our   friends 

went  in  to  look  on  for  a 

few  minutes.     The  assemblage  was  of  an  ordinary  kind,  and  so  was  the 

material  for  sale.     The  crowd  in  front  of  the  auctioneer  was  so  dense 


1SS        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

and  unsavory,  and  the  place  so  hot  and  generally  uncomfortable,  that 
the  strangers  -were  satisfied  after  standing  for  a  few  minutes  on  the 
outer  periphery  of  the  circle  of  spectators. 

"  I  should  have  fainted  in  two  minutes  more,"  said  Mrs.  I  jassett,  as 
they  got  outside  the  room ;  "  and  yet  I  suppose  there  are  men  and 
women  who  come  here  every  day  to  attend  these  sales  and  stay  in  their 
places  from  beginning  to  end  of  them." 

"  Certainly  there  are,"  replied  Frank,  "just  as  you  find  that  class  of 
people  around  the  auction-rooms  in  every  great  city.  They  make  a  liv- 
ing at  the  business  by  buying  anything  that  is  going  for  less  than  its 
value,  and  selling  it  for  its  worth  and  frequently  something  more.  Bar- 
gains may  be  picked  up  here  as  well  as  in  other  auction-rooms ;  but  in 
order  to  avoid  deception,  one  must  know  the  exact  worth  of  everything 
on  which  he  places  a  bid.  It  is  a  common  trick  to  sell  as  a  bankrupt 
stock,  or  as  '  the  property  of  a  gentleman  who  is  suddenly  compelled  to 
leave  the  country,'  articles  that  have  come  straight  from  the  factory 
where  they  were  made  and  have  never  been  in  use.  I  heard  a  day  or 
two  ago  of  the  sale  of  some  Cashmere  shawls  that  '  belonged  to  an  East 
Indian  rajah,  who  was  compelled  to  sacrifice  them  at  any  price.'  The 
shawls  were  imitation  ones  from  an  English  factory,  and  had  never  been 
seen  by  a  rajah  or  any  other  East  Indian." 

Saying  this,  Frank  led  the  way  up-stairs  to  where  the  real  interest 
in  the  auction  sales  was  to  be  found.  The  auctioneer  was  offering  some 
paintings  which  were  alleged  to  be  from  the  easels  of  distinguished  art- 
ists. There  was  a  crowd  of  buyers  in  front  of  him,  who  were  bidding  in 
a  manner  that  did  not  betray  much  excitement,  though  doubtless  some 
of  them  were  concealing  their  real  feelings  under  a  cloak  of  apparent 
indifference.  The  auctioneer  is  assisted  in  his  labors  by  a  crieu>\  or 
crier,  whose  duty  it  is  to  do  the  greater  part  of  the  talking ;  he  stands  in 
front  of  the  auctioneer's  desk,  repeating  the  bids  that  have  been  made, 
encouraging  other  bids,  watching  the  faces  in  the  crowd,  keeping  a  keen 
eye  out  for  a  nod,  a  wink,  the  movement  of  a  finger — anything  that  indi- 
cates a  bid.  and  is  intended  to  be  concealed  from  the  crowd.  His  words 
and  sentences  are  deftly  mingled  with  those  of  the  auctioneer,  and  he 
saves  his  superior  a  great  amount  of  vocal  labor.  One  thing  he  must 
possess  above  all  others  to  be  a  successful  crier :  he  must  have  a  clear 
and  melodious  voice  that  can  make  itself  heard  all  through  the  hall, 
and  at  the  same  time  it  must  not  be  a  boisterous  one. 

"  The  crier  now  on  duty."  said  Frank.  "  is  Daire,  and  he  is  known  to 
the  patrons  of  this  part  of  the  Hotel  Drouot  for  the  past  quarter  of  a 


A   BIT  OF  EXPERIENCE. 


189 


ft.'iVj 


SI  7 


K  H1F 


1  ^ 


A    PRIVATE    VIEW. 


century.  He  is  the  chief  of  all  the  other  criers,  and  his  word  is  law 
among  them.  He  is  here  every  day,  but  does  not  always  officiate,  re- 
serving himself  for  the  largest  and  best  of  the  sales,  which  are  his  exclu- 
sive province,  and  pay  him  handsomely." 

"  He  reminds  me  of  the  town-crier  whom  we  used  to  have  when  I 
was  a  little  girl,"  Mrs.  Bassett  remarked  in  a  whisper  to  her  son.  "  But 
he  doesn't  carry  a  bell,  as  our  town-crier  did,  probably  for  the  reason 
that  a  bell  would  be  out  of  place  here." 

"  But  there  are  several  belles  among  the  buyers  and  spectators,"  said 
Mary,  with  a  smile.  Mrs.  Bassett  did  not  catch  the  time-honored  pun, 
but  looked  in  vain  through  the  assemblage  for  bells  of  the  town-crier 


l'JO        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

sort.  She  saw  several  pretty  faces,  but  the  majority  of  their  owners 
seemed  more  intent  upon  chatting  with  their  neighbors  than  in  bidding 
upon  the  pictures.  One  fair  Frenchwoman,  however,  had  a  catalogue 
in  her  hand,  and  when  a  certain  picture  was  offered  she  began  to  bid 
eagerly.  Her  bidding  aroused  others,  and  the  painting  brought  a  good 
price.  She  was  not  the  purchaser,  and  Mrs.  Bassett  wondered  why  the 
woman  failed  to  secure  the  object  for  which  she  seemed  so  desirous. 

"  She's  probably  a  friend  of  the  artist,"  whispered  Frank,  "  and  sim- 
ply wished  to  help  the  sale  along.  This  practice  is  a  well-known  one  in 
art  auctions  all  the  world  over,  and  in  no  place  is  it  practised  to  greater 
perfection  than  in  New  York.  Probably  she  wasn't  at  all  inclined  to 
buy  the  picture,  and  her  eagerness  was  a  bit  of  fine  acting  that  would 
do  credit  to  the  stage  of  the  Theatre  Francais." 

"  She  is  an  actress  at  the Theatre,"  said  an  English-speaking 

by-stander,  touching  his  hat  and  bowing  to  Frank,  "  and  the  artist  is 
her  brother.  The  crier  aud  auctioneer  both  know  who  she  is,  and  so  do 
some  of  the  people  here,  but  the  majority  of  them  suppose  she  is  a  genu- 
ine purchaser.'' 

Frank  thanked  the  gentleman  for  his  explanation  of  the  reason  for 
the  pretty  woman's  apparent  anxiety  to  buy,  when  she  was  really  trying 
to  induce  somebody  else  to  invest  his  money.  She  evidently  succeeded, 
and  her  look  of  disappointment  when  the  picture  Avas  knocked  down 
was  well  managed  and  worthy  the  admiration  of  all  who  saw  it. 

It  is  proper  to  remark  that  the  auctioneers  of  the  Hotel  Drouot  are 
well  versed  in  their  business,  which  is  to  obtain  the  highest  possible 
prices  for  whatever  comes  under  the  hammer  in  that  establishment. 
The  auctioneer  and  the  crier  at  a  great  sale  stud)-  the  crowd  before  them 
with  the  greatest  care,  and  they  display  wonderful  skill  in  creating  a 
fever  among  the  purchasers,  when  such  a  thing  is  possible.  They  can 
readily  determine  when  a  bidder  has  reached  his  limit,  or  when  he  is  in- 
clined to  go  beyond  his  last  offer,  and  their  arts  of  cajolery  are  of  the 
best.  It  is  impossible  to  describe  them  in  writing,  and  we  will  not  haz- 
ard an  attempt  to  do  so. 

••  How  much  do  the  auctioneers  receive  for  their  services  ?"  Airs.  Bas- 
sett asked,  during  a  pause  in  the  sales. 

"  Their  compensation  depends  very  much  upon  the  character  of  the 
articles  sold,  the  cost  of  advertising,  catalogues,  and  other  contingent 
expenses.  At  the  commencement  of  a  sale  the  auctioneer  announces 
that  purchasers  will  be  required  to  pay  a  tax  of  5  per  cent,  on  the 
amount  of  their  bids,  a  practice  that  is  unknown  in  America.     Suppose 


AUCTIONEERS   OF  PARIS. 


191 


I  have  offered  8100  for  a  picture,  and  it  has  been  knocked  down  to  me. 
When  I  go  to  pay  for  it  I  find  that  I  must  pay  $105  before  it  will  be  de- 
livered, and  the  same  rate  is  maintained  on  all  purchases,  great  or  small- 

"  For  example,  a  great  painting  was  sold  here  a  few  years  ago  for 
8120,000.  The  purchasers  had  to  pay  85600  additional  in  consequence 
of  the  5  per  cent,  tax,  and  then  the  seller  of  the  picture  paid  10  per 
cent,  to  the  auctioneer  for  disposing  of  it.  This  amounted  to  812,000, 
and  so  the  cost  of  transferring  this  picture  from  seller  to  buyer  left  the 
neat  little  sum  of  817,600  in  the  hands  of  the  men  connected  with  the 
Hotel  Drouot  and  the  business  conducted  here." 

'•  The  auction  business  ought  to  be  very  profitable,"  was  the  very 
natural  comment  that  followed  this  piece  of  information. 

"And  so  it  is,"  was  the  reply.  "The  business  of  the  Hotel  Drouot 
amounts  to  many  millions  of  francs  every  year,  and  sometimes  the  sales 
of  a  single  day  will  require  seven  figures  to  represent  them.  The  ex- 
penses of  a  sale  are  never  less  than  8  per  cent.,  and  may  amount 
to  25  per  cent.,  or  very  near  that 


figure. 


J5SP3& 


The  auctioneers  of  Paris 
are  an  association  created  by  the 
law,  and  they  have  an  official 
character  like  the  clerks  and  low- 
er officials  in  the  employ  of  the 
Government.  They  are  a  close 
corporation,  like  the  Stock  Ex- 
change of  Xew  York  ;  and  before 
a  man  can  act  as  auctioneer  he 
must  deposit  20,000  francs  in  the 
public  treasury  to  insure  his  hon- 
esty in  dealing  with  his  customer : 
then  he  must  be  elected  to  the 
association,  and  receive  an  ap- 
pointment from  the  Government. 
When  he  wants  to  retire  from 
business  he  sells  it  out  to  a  suc- 
cessor, who  must  be  approved  by 
the  officers  of  the  association  or 
the  public  authorities.  The  auc- 
tion business  is  so  profitable  that  a  million  francs  and  more  has  been 
paid  for  the  '  good-will '  of  a  retiring  auctioneer,  and  the  most  ordinary 
of  them  can  obtain  200,000  francs  for  his  rights  in  the  association." 


PURE,   THE    MASTER    CRIER. 


192 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


"  Why  don't  you  buy  out  one  of  the  auctioneers  here  and  set  up  for 
yourself  ?"  Mary  asked,  jocularly,  turning  to  Fred. 

"I  couldn't  do  it,"  said  Fred,  in  response,  "as  no  one  but  a  citizen 
of  France  is  eligible.     A  man  of  any  other  nationality  would  be  shown 

to  the  door  with  the  most  frigid  po- 
liteness." 

'•  But  there's  one  place  that  you 
can  take  here  without  the  necessity 
of  being  a  Frenchman,"  said  Frank, 
as  Fred  ended  his  reply  to  Mary. 
"  You  can  be  an  expert." 

"  What  is  an  expert  ?"  Mrs.  Bas- 
sett  asked,  turning  to  Frank. 

"  He  is  the  man  who  puts  a  val- 
uation upon  articles  offered  for  sale, 
so  as  to  guide  the  auctioneer  in  his 
work.  You  ma}7  have  your  goods 
valued  or  not,  as  you  choose ;  but 
if  you  call  in  an  expert  to  value 
them,  you  must  pay  him  a  com- 
mission of  3  per  cent,  on  the  amount 
received.  A  buyer  who  does  not 
trust  his  own  judgment  may  also 
employ  an  expert  to  help  him,  or  a 
dozen  if  he  likes  ;  but  when  he  calls 
an  expert  to  his  aid,  he  may  quite 
possibly  secure  the  very  one  who 
is  in  the  interest  of  the  seller,  or  has  a  friend  who  is  so  interested. 

"  Experts  have  their  different  lines  of  business,"  continued  Frank, 
"  as  it  is  naturally  impossible  for  one  man  to  know  the  value  of  every- 
thing. One  is  an  expert  of  old  paintings,  another  of  modern  ones ;  an- 
other is  an  expert  in  coins,  antiquities,  and  the  like;  another  confines 
himself  to  old  books,  another  to  lace,  and  so  on  through  the  vast  list  of 
things  that  come  here  to  be  sold.  A  good  expert  must  be  able  to  say 
pretty  nearly  at  what  price  an  article  will  sell ;  and  if  it  runs  much 
above  or  falls  below  his  figures,  the  result  is  a  discredit  to  his  judgment."' 
"  Don't  they  make  mistakes  sometimes  V 

•'  Yes,  the  best  of  them  will  blunder,  but,  as  a  rule,  they  are  won- 
derfully correct  in  their  estimates.  A  story  is  told  of  one  of  the  best 
of  the  experts  in  faience,  who  fixed  the  price  of  a  vase   at  *20.  and 


A    REGULAR    VISITOR. 


194 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


was  very  greatly  astonished  when  it  sold  at  auction  for  just  forty 
times  that  amount  (§800),  and  was  afterwards  disposed  of  by  the  pur- 
chaser for  $2000.  Another  expert  once  ascribed  a  portrait  of  one  of  the 
kings  of  France  to  an  artist  who  died  fifty  years  before  the  king  was 
born ;  but  this  expert  was  by  no  means  one  of  the  highest  rank.  Am- 
man can  be  an  expert,  or  call  himself  one,  and  he  does  not  belong  to  a 
close  corporation  like  the  auctioneers." 

Frank  regretted  that  there  was  no  great  sale  in  prospect — something 
of  an  unusual  character,  like  the  Duchesse  de  Berry,  the  Demidotf,  the 
San  Donato,  the  Marshal  Soult,  and  other  famous  sales  of  which  all  the 
collectors  and  amateurs  all  over  the  world  are  aware.  These  sales  are 
advertised  for  months  beforehand,  and  purchasers  flock  to  them  from 
all  parts  of  Europe  and  America  to  purchase  the  curiosities  that  are  to 
go  under  the  hammer.  The  articles  are  placed  on  exhibition,  and  pros- 
pective buyers  have  the  privilege  of  examining  them  in  the  show-rooms 
for  a  few  days  before  the  sale  begins.  Their  extent  may  be  realized 
when  it  is  known  that  the  Demidoff  sales  brought  in  an  aggregate  of 

15,000,000  francs,  and  other  sales 
have  fallen  not  far  behind  it. 

Mrs.  Bassett  said  that  the  in- 
spection of  the  articles  in  one  of 
these  famous  sales  would  be  like 
going  through  a  museum. 

"  Very  much  like  it,"  replied 
Frank,  "  and  a  museum  of  no  or- 
dinary character.  Books,  jewels, 
furniture,  pictures,  bric-a-brac,  and 
many  other  things  that  have  be- 
longed to  royal  or  imperial  per- 
sonages have  been  sold  here,  and 
their  history  is  so  clearly  traced 
that  there  can  be  no  doubt  of  their 
genuineness.  The  rarest  of  old 
books  and  engravings  come  here 
for  a  market ;  and,  in  fact,  the 
rarest  and  best  of  everything  in 
the  way  of  curiosities  have  passed 
in  and  out  of  the  Hotel  Drouot." 

On  inquiry,  Frank  learned  that 
the  goods  from  the  private  collec- 


AS    AMATEUR. 


VISITING  A   PICTURE   SALE. 


195 


tion  of  an  eccentric  gentleman  who  had  recently  died  was  to  come  under 
the  hammer  the  next  day,  and  were  then  on  view  in  one  of  the  rooms. 
So  they  went  there  and  feasted  their  eyes  upon  rare  paintings  by  famous 


WAITING    FOR    BUSINESS. 


artists,  and  choice  vases  from  Japan  and  China,  rugs  from  Persia  and 
Daghestan,  shawls  from  Cashmere,  plates  and  cups  from  Sevres,  swords 
from  Damascus,  wood  and  ivory  carvings  from  India,  and  a  variety  of 
other  things  which  Frank  said  were  altogether  too  numerous  to  mention 
in  detail.  They  spent  an  hour  among  these  cui'iosities  and  then  returned 
to  join  the  crowd  at  the  picture  sale. 

The  auctioneer,  crier,  and  audience  had  warmed  to  their  work,  and 
the  room  had  wanned  at  the  same  time,  as  it  was  not  by  any  means 
ventilated  after  the  modern  ideas.  Bidding  was  lively  and  in  large 
sums ;  a  painting  was  started  at  500  francs  and  reached  2000,  at 
which  figure  it  was  secured  by  somebody,  but  whether  the  price  ob- 
tained was  above  or  below  its  real  value  we  will  not  pretend  to  say. 
Then  there  rose  a  question  which  Mrs.  Bassett  propounded  to  Frank 
as  to  what  made  one  picture  worth  a  hundred  or  five  hundred  times 
the  value  of  another  that  was  equally  pleasing  to  the  eye. 


196       THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

"That  question  has  been  asked  a  great  many  times,"  said  Frank, 
"  and  the  best  answer  I  know  of  is  that  the  demand  makes  the  value. 
'  A  tiling  is  worth  what  it  will  fetch '  is  an  old  saying,  and  perhaps  as 
near  the  truth  as  we  can  get.  Articles  become  valuable  in  proportion 
to  their  rarity,  their  merit,  or  their  associations,  or  all  three  combined. 
Any  one  of  us  would  give  more  for  a  book  or  a  walking-stick  that  had 
belonged  to  the  Duke  of  Wellington  or  the  Emperor  of  China  than  to 
one  that  had  no  history  or  association  whatever  connected  with  it,  al- 
though the  two  sticks  may  be  precisely  alike.  Pictures  by  the  old 
painters  of  past  centuries  are  worth  more  than  ecpially  good  pictures  by 
living  artists ;  when  a  modern  artist  of  reputation  dies  his  pictures  are 
at  once  increased  in  value,  because  no  more  of  them  can  be  made.  The 
autograph  of  Andrew  Johnson  is  more  valuable  than  that  of  any  other 
President  of  the  United  States,  Washington  not  excepted,  for  the  reason 
that  very  few  of  his  autographs  are  in  existence;  AYashington's  auto- 
graphs are  less  valuable  than  those  of  certain  other  men  of  his  time,  for 
the  reason  that  they  are  more  numerous,  though  Washington  is  far  bet- 
ter known  than  any  one  of  the  men  to  whom  I  refer.  And  you  may 
say  of  all  the  rare  things  sold  at  the  Hotel  Drouot,  that  they  are  worth 
what  people  are  willing  to  pay  for  them  for  the  sake  of  their  possession." 

Having  satisfied  their  curiosity  relative  to  the  Hotel  Drouot  and 
the  business  conducted  there,  our  friends  left  the  building  and  strolled 
along  the  street  of  the  same  name,  till  they  came  to  what  Frank  said 
was  the  Hotel  Figaro,  the  office  of  the  newspaper  of  that  name.  It 
is  one  of  the  curiosities  of  newspaper  buildings,  as  it  is  in  the  style  of 
architecture  prevalent  in  Spain  nearly  three  hundred  years  ago,  and  is 
adorned  with  a  fine  statue  representing  the  character  of  Figaro,  in  the 
well-known  opera  "  The  Barber  of  Seville."  Frank  told  his  mother  that 
the  Figaro  newspaper  was  a  witty  and  satirical  journal  with  a  large 
circulation,  and  a  decided  hostility  to  the  republican  form  of  govern- 
ment, though  of  late  years  it  shows  a  willingness  to  tolerate  it  for  a 
while.  The  idea  of  its  founder  was  to  make  a  newspaper  which  should 
be  readable  from  beginning  to  end  ;  and  he  seems  to  have  succeeded  very 
well,  if  we  may  judge  by  the  way  the  paper  is  talked  about. 

The  visit  to  the  office  of  Figaro  led  to  a  talk  concerning  the  news- 
papers of  Paris  and  their  general  character  and  standing. 

"  There  are  more  newspapers  here  than  in  New  York,"  said  Frank 
to  his  mother,  in  reply  to  a  question  concerning  them ;  "  but  our  Ameri- 
can papers  contain  ten  times  as  much  real  news  as  the  journals  of  the 
French  capital.     There  are  sixty  or  more  dailies  here  in  Paris,  but  some 


i)  jfc^» 


198 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


of  them  are  so  obscure  that  you  might  live  here  for  years  without  know- 
ing of  their  existence.  The  paper  with  the  largest  circulation  is  the 
Petit  Journal,  which  is  sold  for  one  sou  (one  cent),  and  the  high-priced 
paper  with  the  largest  circulation  (about  one  hundred  thousand)  is  the 
Figaro.  One  of  the  best  of  the  republican  papers  is  the  Journal  des 
Debats,  and  side  by  side  with  it  in  character  and  political  leaning  is  the 
La  SepubUque  Francais.  Figaro  costs  four  sous  (cents),  and  the  prices 
of  the  other  newspapers  vary  from  four  sous  down  to  one,  but  are  gen- 
erally two  sous,  which  seems  to  be  the  popular  price." 

"What  are  the  papers  rilled  with,"  queried  Mrs.  Bassett.  "if  they 
contain  as  little  news  as  you  suggest  J" 

"  They  are  rilled  with  political  articles,  stories,  theatrical  notes,  gos- 
sip, and  matters  of  that  sort,  and  they  have  a  little  news  now  and  then 
when  they  cannot  well  avoid  it.  They  have  telegraphic  matter  from 
various  parts  of  the  world,  but  less  than  you  will  find  in  any  paper  in 
the  United  States,  in  a  city  having  more  than  ten  thousand  inhabitants. 
Their  news  is  generally  confined 
to  a  bare  announcement  of  an 
event,  and  they  will  give  a  few 
lines  to  what  an  American  paper 
would  consider  of  sufficient  im- 
portance to  have  a  column  or 
two." 

As  Frank  paused,  Fred  asked 

him  to  tell   about  Mr. ,  the 

American  journalist  they  had  met 
a  few  days  before,  and  his  experi- 
ence with  a  French  newspaper  in 
the  matter  of  news. 

"  Oh  yes,"  said  Frank,  "  that's 

a  good  case  in  point.     Mr.  

is  connected  with  a  prominent 
newspaper  in  Xew  York,  and 
came  here  a  few  weeks  ago  for  a 
vacation.  He  speaks  French  eas- 
ily, and  had  an  introduction  to 

the  editor  of  one  of  the  Paris  papers.  He  was  cordially  received,  in- 
vited to  an  editorial  breakfast  at  the  restaurant  Du  Chat  Xoir,  and 
there  made  the  acquaintance  of  several  members  of  the  Freuch  press*; 
who  were  very  courteous  to  him. 


A    BUYER    OF    OLD    BOOKS. 


NEWSPAPERS  OF   PARIS.  199 

"  A  few  days  after  his  arrival  he  went  out  into  the  country  twenty 
or  thirty  miles  from  Paris  to  visit  a  friend.  Close  by  his  friend's  house 
was  a  large  factory,  which  took  fire  and  was  burned  to  the  ground  dur- 
ing his  visit,  causing  great  excitement  in  the  village.    Thinking;  he  would 

O  O    O  DO 

do  a  good  thing  for  the  French  editor  who  had  treated  him  so  kindly, 
and  with  the  true  instinct  of  the  trained  journalist,  he  gathered  par- 
ticulars enough  of  the  fire  to  fill  not  less  than  a  column,  and  hastened 
to  Paris  by  an  evening  train.  He  went  straight  to  the  office  of  his 
friend,  and  delivered  his  budget  of  manuscript  so  that  it  was  in  ample 
time  to  appear  in  full.  Imagine  his  chagrin  the  next  morning  to  find 
that  his  column  of  matter  had  been  cut  down  to  exactly  two  and  a  half 
lines  containing  the  bare  announcement  of  the  fire.  It  was  all  that  the 
paper  cared  for,  and,  as  a  newspaper  is  made  up  to  meet  the  wants  of 
its  readers,  it  was  probably  all  that  the  public  desired. 

"  The  oldest  Parisian  newspaper,"  continued  Frank,  "  is  the  Gazette 
de  France,  which  was  founded  in  1631.  It  has  been  suppressed  a  few 
times,  but  never  for  a  long  period,  and  it  generally  manages  to  be  on 
the  side  of  the  existing  Government,  or  so  mild  in  its  opposition  that  no 
one  is  offended  by  it.  Under  the  first  and  second  empires  earnest 
opposition  was  not  allowed  ;  whenever  a  newspaper  made  itself  trouble- 
some, the  Emperor  suppressed  it  without  hesitation.  During  the  revo- 
lution of  1TS9  a  great  many  newspapers  appeared,  but  when  Napoleon 
I.  came  into  power  he  suppressed  nearly  all  of  them. 

"  The  French  were  allowed  more  liberty  of  the  press  under  Louis 
Philippe  than  before,  although  the  great  majority  of  the  papers  of  his 
day  were  opposed  to  the  liberal  King.  After  the  fall  of  Louis  Philippe, 
in  1S48,  some  one  remarked  to  Louis  Napoleon  that  the  freedom  of  the 
press  had  overturned  the  royal  throne.  The  'nephew  of  his  uncle'  is  said 
to  have  put  his  hand  to  the  side  of  his  face,  and  he  remained  in  a  con- 
templative attitude  for  a  minute  or  more.  "When  he  came  into  power 
he  suppressed  nearly  all  papers  that  showed  any  hostility  to  him,  and 
he  continued  to  muzzle  the  press  until  his  downfall.  "When  the  repub- 
lic was  established  in  1871,  great  numbers  of  newspapers  appeared. 
They  were  not  disturbed  by  the  Government,  with  a  very  few  excep- 
tions, but  they  were  so  numerous  that  it  was  impossible  for  all  to  exist. 
Many  of  them  died,  and  some  that  survived  only  kept  alive  through 
their  advertising  columns  and  their  readiness  to  give  notoriety  to  any- 
body who  was  willing  to  pay  for  it." 

Mrs.  Bassett  asked  Frank  about  the  newspapers  of  Paris  that  were 
printed  in  the  English  language.     She  had  seen  the  Paris  edition  of  the 


2W 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


New  York  Herald  and  also  the  American,  Register,  and  wondered  if 
there  were  any  others. 

"The  oldest  paper  in  Paris  in  the  English  language,"  said  Frank, 
"is  Gallgnanis  Messenger,  and  for  a  long  time  it  had  a  monopoly  of 
the  patronage  of  the  English  reading  public.  As  the  newspaper  men 
say,  it  was  a  '  scissors  and  paste '  affair,  as  its  contents  other  than  the 
advertisements  consisted  entirely  of  clippings  from  English  and  Ameri- 
can papers,  with  just  as  many  written  words  as  were  needed  for  head- 
lines and  nothing  more.  It  was  a  gold-mine  for  its  owner  until  it  was 
obliged  to  share  the  field  with  others,  and  also  reduce  its  price;  further- 
more, it  was  compelled,  through  the  competition  against  it,  to  have  some 
original  writing  in  its  columns,  instead  of  relying  entirely  upon  clip- 


'•;      'Mi        •■ 


ft'      T-'rji-.; 


:-■  ,  - 


?  '    ^X:'f- 


A    SERIOUS   DCEL. 


pings.  The  number  of  Americans  and  English  in  Paris  and  on  the  Con- 
tinent is  so  large  that  all  the  papers  in  our  language  are  said  to  be  do- 
ing well,  and  we  shall  certainly  hope  that  such  is  the  case." 


AMERICAN  VIEWS  OF  DUELLING.  201 

Mary  had  read  something  in  one  of  the  French  papers  about  a  duel 
between  an  editor  and  somebody  else,  and  asked  if  such  things  were 
common  in  Paris  and  when  they  took  place. 

"  Duels  are  not  confined  to  editors  and  those  whom  they  have  of- 
fended,'' replied  Frank,  "  but  are  the  fashionable  amusement  of  a  good- 
ly number  of  Parisians,  and,  occasionally,  foreigners." 

"  Amusement !"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Bassett,  in  astonishment.  "  How  can 
you  think  of  calling  a  duel  an  amusement  ?" 

"  Why,"  replied  the  young  man,  "  because  it  is  so  rarely  injurious 
to  any  one,  and  because  a  duel  attracts  the  public  attention  and  is  gen- 
erally a  great  entertainment  to  all  those  who  are  not  personally  con- 
cerned. Most  of  the  duels  in  France  are  ridiculous  for  a  variety  of  rea- 
sons ;  if  pistols  are  used,  an  exchange  of  shots  without  anybody  being 
hit  is  usually  sufficient  to  avenge  the  offended  dignity  of  the  comba- 
tants, and  they  shake  hands  and  become  friends,  or  as  friendly  as  the 
customs  of  society  require  ;  if  the  men  fight  with  swords,  a  mere  touch 
to  draw  a  few  drops  of  blood  is  sufficient,  and  men  have  been  accused 
of  carrying  small  phials  of  blood  under  their  clothing,  and  breaking  them 
surreptitiously  at  the  proper  moment.  In  many  cases  the  police  are  no- 
tified, so  that  they  can  appear  at  the  right  moment  and  stop  the  duel, 
and  then  the  would-be  combatants  are  put  under  bonds  to  keep  the 
peace  and  their  hostility  to  each  other  comes  to  an  end. 

"  Some  of  the  journalists  of  Paris  are  notorious  for  the  duels  they 
have  fought,  but  I  will  not  add  to  their  notoriety  by  naming  them. 
One,  in  particular,  is  said  to  have  fought  a  duel  for  every  year  of  his 
life.  He  is  one  of  the  most  abusive  men  that  ever  wielded  a  pen,  and 
the  French  language  does  not  contain  words  too  bad  for  him  to  apply 
to  any  one  who  does  not  agree  with  him  in  politics.  His  policy  is  to 
goad  an  opponent  until  the  latter  feels  obliged  to  send  a  challenge. 

The  challenged  party  has  the  choice  of  weapons ;  and,  as  Mr. is 

accounted  the  best  swordsman  in  Europe,  he  selects  swords,  and  can  kill 
his  adversary  if  he  chooses.  Another  famous  duellist  follows  the  same 
plan,  but  the  pistol  is  his  favorite  weapon,  and  he  always  chooses  it." 

"  These  men  are  no  better  than  murderers !"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Bassett, 
in  a  tone  of  horror,  as  Frank  paused. 

"A  great  many  other  people,  and  Frenchmen,  too,  believe  as  you 
do,"  said  Frank;  "but  duelling  is  so  firmly  fixed  among  the  customs  of 
the  French  that  it  cannot  be  eradicated.  Happily,  though,  it  appears 
to  be  on  the  decline,  and  the  laws  against  it  are  constantly  becoming 
more  and  more  severe." 


202       tup:  boy  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

Then  Frank  indulged  in  a  bit  of  moralizing,  in  which  he  said  the 
duel  was  a  relic  of  the  Middle  Ages,  when  it  was  believed  that  disputes 
should  be  settled  by  personal  combat,  the  one  who  was  in  the  right  be- 
ing sure  of  the  victory.  That  the  victor  was  right  and  the  vanquished 
wrong  in  his  quarrel  was  the  belief  of  those  times.  Its  absurdity  had 
long  since  been  clearly  proven,  and  by  none  more  forcibly  than  Xapo- 
leon  I.,  who  said  that  in  war  Providence  was  on  the  side  of  the  strong- 
est battalions  and  the  heaviest  artillery.  Duelling  ought,  he  considered, 
to  be  placed  by  the  side  of  the  belief  in  charms  and  enchantments,  as  it 
is  altogether  unworthy  of  any  regard  on  the  part  of  an  intelligent  people. 
The  duel  to-day  is  nothing  more  than  a  proof  of  a  man's  bravery,  espe- 
cially when  he  meets  an  antagonist  whom  he  knows  to  be  more  skilful 
than  himself  in  the  use  of  weapons. 

"And  the  duel  seems  to  me  the  most  ridiculous  thing  in  the  world,"' 
said  Fred.  "  Let  us  suppose  that  John  deliberately  insults  Charles. 
John  thereby  shows  that  he  is  not  a  gentleman,  which  Charles  claims 
to  be ;  but,  under  the  code  of  the  duel,  Charles  is  obliged  to  challenge 
John  to  a  combat  which  may  be  mortal.  Thus  Charles,  the  gentleman, 
places  himself  on  an  equality  with  John,  whose  conduct  is  not  that  of 
a  gentleman.  Furthermore,  John,  the  challenged  party,  has  the  choice 
of  weapons.  He  chooses  those  in  which  he  is  most  skilful,  and  thus 
Charles,  by  his  challenge,  is  at  a  disadvantage  in  the  combat  which 
ensues.  Charles  is  wounded,  and  perhaps  killed,  while  John  gets  off 
unharmed.  Charles,  the  victim  of  the  insult,  goes  to  the  hospital  or  the 
cemetery,  while  his  insulter  resumes  his  former  course  of  life,  and  is 
free,  temporarily  or  permanently,  from  the  presence  of  the  man  whom 
he  affronted.  Altogether,  it  seems  to  me  that  duelling  is  absurd  in  prin- 
ciple as  well  as  unjust  in  its  results,  and  the  wonder  is  that  sensible 
people  tolerate  it  in  this  age  of  intelligence." 

'•'  The  moral  is,"  said  Frank,  "  that  nobody  should  fight  a  duel." 

"  Certainly,"  replied  Fred.  "  especially  when  the  other  man  has  him 
-at  a  disadvantage.'' 


A   DRIVE  TO   THE  EIFFEL   TOWER. 


203 


CHAPTER   XII. 

THE  EIFFEL  TOWER;  ITS  HEIGHT  AND  DIMENSION'S;  COMPARISON  WITH  THE  WASH- 
INGTON MONUMENT;  PLANS  FOR  ITS  CONSTRUCTION;  HOW  THE  COST  WAS 
DEFRAYED;  TRIUMPH  OF  THE  RIVET  IN  BUILDING;  HOW  THE  ASCENT  IS 
MADE.— ELEVATORS  OF  AMERICAN  AND  FRENCH  CONSTRUCTION.— THE  TRAV- 
ELLER WHO  WANTED  TO  GO  TO  "  COMPLET."— A  MIXED  ASSEMBLAGE.— SCENES 
ON  THE  DIFFERENT  PLATFORMS. —DINNER  IN  A  HIGH  PLACE.  — VIEW  FROM 
THE  UPPER  STORY.  —  EFFECT  OF  WIND  AND  RAIN.  — PARIS  AT  NIGHT  FROM 
THE  TOWER.  — AN  EXPERIENCE  IN  SOCIETY.  — THE  SALONS  OF  PARIS  AND 
THEIR  PECULIARITIES— MADAME  EDMOND  ADAM  AND  HER  RECEPTIONS.— AN- 
ECDOTE OF  GAMBETTA.— JULIETTE  LAMBER. 


«r 


T^HE  air  is  very  clear,  and  we  can  have  a  fine  view  from  the  top  of 
-*•     the  Eiffel  Tower,"  said  Frank.     "  Suppose  we  go  there." 

Mrs.  Bassett  assented  at 
once  to  the  proposal,  and  so 
did  the  others  of  the  party. 

Accordingly,  they  drove 
to  the  foot  of  the  wonderful 
tower  on  the  bank  of  the 
Seine,  at  one  end  of  the 
Champ  de  Mars.  During  the 
ride  to  it  Frank  explained 
to  his  mother  and  sister  the 
history  of  the  landmark  that 
is  visible  from  all  parts  of 
the  city  and  from  beyond  the 
line  of  fortifications  which 
have  already  been  described. 

"  The  tower  was  one  of 
the  features  of  the  great  ex- 
hibition of  1889,"  said  Frank. 
"  and  is  the  loftiest  edifice  in 
the  world." 
"How  much  higher  is  it  than  the  "Washington  Monument?" 


JU-.Sj-^^^ 


SOUVENIRS    OF    THE    TOWER. 


204 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


"Almost  twice  as  high,"  was  the  reply.     "The  top  of  the  Washing- 
ton Monument  is  554  feet  from  the  ground,  while  that  of  the  Eiffel 
Tower  is  9S3  feet,  and  if  you  include  the  flag-staff  you  can  call  the  Eif- 
fel Tower  a  good 
__^^  thousand  feet  in 

height,  or  almost 
one  -  fifth  of  a 
mile." 

"  It  looks  very 
light  compared 
with  the  Wash- 
ington Monu- 
ment," said  Mrs. 
Bassett,"  but  that 
is  probably  be- 
cause it  is  built 
of  iron  instead  of 
stone." 

-That     ac- 
counts    for     it." 
said  Frank.  "The 
Washington  Mon- 
ument weighs  45,- 
500  tons,while  the 
Eiffel   Tower,  al- 
most twice  as  tall, 
weighs  only 750<> 
tons.      By   using 
iron    instead    of 
stone  they  got  al- 
most twice  as  far 
up  in  the  air  with 
only     one  -  sixth 
of     the     weight. 
When    the    new 
metal  aluminium  is  cheap  enough  to  come  into  general  use  and  take  the 
place  of  iron,  we  may  expect  to  see  a  tower  2000  feet  high  with  less 
weieht  than  that  of  the  structure  before  us." 

As  soon  as  Mary  had  a  chance  to  ask  a  question  she  showed  the 
practical  turn  of  her  mind  by  asking  the  cost  of  the  tower. 


m 


(®  .s: 


TAKING    THE    ELEVATOR. 


THE  EIFFEL  TOWER.  205 

"  The  cost  is  said  to  have  been  a  million  and  a  quarter  dollars,"  said 
Fred,  referring  to  a  description  of  the  tower,  which  he  glanced  at  from 
time  to  time.  "  The  Government  contributed  $300,000,  and  the  city 
gave  the  land  on  which  the  tower  stands.  The  rest  of  the  cost  was 
paid  for  by  a  company,  and  it  is  said  that  the  investment  was  a  profit- 
able one.  At  the  end  of  twenty  years  the  tower  is  to  become  the  pro- 
perty of  the  Government,  and  will  be  moved  to  the  hill  of  Montmartre 
— or,  at  any  rate,  that  was  the  original  intention."' 

Fred  gave  other  details  concerning  it,  for  which  we  have  no  room 
here.  His  account  of  the  inception  and  progress  of  the  work  was  cut 
short  by  the  arrival  of  the  carriage  at  the  base  of  the  tower,  or  as  near 
to  it  as  carriages  are  allowed  to  go.  As  they  descended  to  the  ground, 
where  Frank  paid  and  discharged  the  driver,  our  friends  were  beset  by 
a  crowd  of  peddlers  who  had  all  sorts  of  souvenirs  of  the  Eiffel  Tower 
for  sale.  There  were  pin  -  cushions,  pencils,  sleeve-buttons,  snuffboxes, 
match-boxes,  pen-holders,  scarf-pins,  and  many  other  things,  all  bearing 
pictures  of  the  tower  in  one  form  or  another,  or  with  a  microscopic 
view  of  it  deftly  concealed  or  painfully  apparent.  All  these  venders 
seemed  determined  to  make  a  sale,  and  thejT  hung  closely  and  annoy- 
ingly  around  until  the  gate  was  reached,  where  the  line  is  drawn  against 
them.  Evidently  they  must  drive  a  profitable  trade  among  the  visitors, 
or  they  would  not  be  as  numerous  as  they  are. 

"  The  tower  may  be  considered  quadrupedal,"  wrote  Mary  in  her 
account  of  the  visit,  "as  it  has  four  legs  which  support  it.  It  is  ever  so 
much  longer  and  larger  than  any  other  quadruped  that  the  world  has 
ever  known ;  even  the  mammoth  elephant  at  Coney  Island  is  dwarfed 
into  the  dimensions  of  a  pug-dog  by  this  Eiffel  animal.  There  is  an 
immense  fountain  under  the  central  arch  formed  by  the  junction  of  the 
four  great  legs.  The  fountain  is  emblematic  of  all  the  world  which 
gathered  here  for  the  exhibition  in  the  year  of  the  tower's  completion. 
Take  away  the  fountain,  and  you  could  put  the  whole  Fifth  Avenue 
Hotel  of  New  York  under  the  arch  formed  beneath  the  central  part  of 
the  tower ;  and  even  after  the  hotel  was  placed  there  you  would  have  a 
good  deal  of  space  to  spare  for  smaller  hotels. 

"  The  iron  legs  rest  upon  granite  feet,  and  these  feet  are  sunk  deep 
into  the  ground,  so  that  they  stand  on  the  solid  rock.  There  are  sinews 
of  steel  joining  the  legs  to  the  feet ;  probably  the  legs  would  rest  there 
if  not  fastened  at  all,  but  the  architect  was  determined  to  allow  no  op- 
portunity for  an  overturn  of  the  great  structure  by  a  high  wind  such  as 
sometimes  sweeps  over  Paris  both  in  summer  and  winter. 


206 


TIIE  BOY  TRAVELLERS   IN   CENTRAL   EUROPE. 


OX    THE    SUMMIT. 


"  We  walked  around  a  little  while  to  look  at  the  tower  from  below 
and  learn  how  it  was  built.  Fred's  head  seemed  to  be  what  Dr. 
Holmes  calls  '  an  ant-hill  of  units  and  tens.'  and  he  said  so  much  about 
matter-of-fact  things  that  I  can't  remember  the  half  of  them.  One 
thing  I  remember  is  that  the  tower  is  a  triumph  of  the  power  of  the 
rivet  to  hold  iron  together.  Two  and  a  half  million  rivets  were  used 
in  making  the  tower,  and  more  than  seven  million  rivet -holes  were 
bored.  And  what  struck  me  as  curious  was  that  every  piece  of  iron 
was  fashioned,  and  every  rivet-hole  was  bored  or  punched,  at  the  Eiffel 


ASCENDING  BY  ELEVATOR.  207 

factory,  miles  and  miles  away,  before  it  was  sent  to  Paris.  Beams, 
joists,  girders,  and  all  other  pieces  of  iron-work  were  carefully  planned, 
and  the  place  of  each  and  every  piece  was  marked  on  the  plans,  so  that 
the  engineers  knew  exactly  where  it  was  to  go  when  it  came  here. 
Fred  said  that  40  draughtsmen  were  busy  for  two  years  in  preparing 
the  500  drawings  for  the  engineers  and  2500  working  plans,  by  which 
everything  was  made  ready.  It  reminded  me  of  the  story  of  the  build- 
ing of  King  Solomon's  temple,  and  mamma  said  she  thought  the  same 
thing  while  Fred  was  talking  about  the  great  work. 

"  Everything  was  so  exact  that  when  they  were  laying  the  floor  of 
the  second  story  they  found  that  the  two  western  legs  of  the  tower  were 
just  one-fifth  of  an  inch  higher  than  the  two  eastern  ones.  I  thought 
that  was  certainly  near  enough  for  all  possible  purposes,  but  Fred  said  it 
wasn't,  and  that  this  slight  difference  would  have  thrown  all  the  rivet- 
holes  of  the  upper  part  of  the  tower  out  of  place.  How  do  you  suppose 
they  corrected  the  mistake  after  finding  it  ? 

"  Fred  says  there  is  a  hydraulic  screw-press  fitted  to  the  shoe  of  each 
of  the  four  feet  of  the  tower.  By  means  of  the  screw-presses  they  low- 
ered the  western  feet  the  needed  one-fifth  of  an  inch,  and  then  the  work 
went  on  all  right.  Is  there  anything  in  the  world  more  exact  than  the 
science  of  engineering  i     If  so,  tell  me. 

"  Well,  here  we  are  at  the  office  where  we  buy  our  tickets  for  the 
top.  There  are  three  kinds  of  tickets — one  for  the  whole  distance,  and 
one  for  each  of  the  first  and  second  stories.  It  costs  four  francs  (eighty 
cents)  to  the  top,  three  francs  for  the  second  story,  and  two  francs  for 
the  first.  We  intended  to  go  all  the  way  to  the  top,  and  so  Fred  paid 
the  sixteen  francs  necessary  for  the  four  through  tickets.  I  said  the 
ticket -office,  but  there  are  four  offices,  there  being  an  elevator  and  a 
ticket-office  in  each  of  the  four  legs  of  the  tower.  There  are  American 
elevators,  or  lifts,  in  two  of  the  legs,  and  French  ones  in  the  other  two. 
We  determined  to  patronize  home  institutions,  and  so  went  up  in  one  of 
the  American  elevators.  The  American  lifts  run  up  to  the  second  plat- 
form, but  the  French  ones  stop  at  the  first  platform.  In  the  upper  or 
straight  part  of  the  tower  there  is  only  a  French  one,  known  as  the 
'Ascenseur  Edoux,'  from  the  name  of  its  inventor.  Fred  suggested 
that  Mr.  Edoux,  who  invented  this  lift,  may  possibly  be  a  relative  of 
'  Billet  Doux,'  a  name  with  which  a  good  many  school-girls  are  familiar. 
Frank  said  that  if  the  tower  company  has  not  yet  paid  for  the  elevator 
there  must  be  a  very  large  billet  due  to  the  maker  of  it.  I  was  about  to 
'  say  my  say,'  when  mamma  asked  us  to  wait  till  we  had  more  leisure. 


208 


THE  BUY  TRAVELLERS  IX  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


"The  builders  of  the  American  elevators  had  a  difficult  problem  t<> 
solve  when  they  undertook  their  share  of  the  work,  as  they  had  to  make 
an  elevator  which  would  run  on  an  incline  and  also  go  in  a  curve.  It 
was  easy  enough  to  go  on  an  incline — that  has  been  done  often,  so  Fred 
says — but  this  is  the  first  time  they  ever  undertook  to  run  an  elevator  in 
a  circle.  I  can't  explain  how  it  is  done ;  Fred  tried  to  tell  me,  but  he 
made  my  head  ache,  and  I  wasn't  any  wiser  when  he  finished  than  before 
he  began.  At  all  events,  they  accomplished  what  they  started  for,  and 
certainly  they  should  be  very  proud  of  what  they  have  done.  The  ele- 
vator is  the  first  of  its  kind,  and  it  will  hold  fifty  passengers ;  and  they 
say  there  has  never  been  an  accident  of  any  kind  with  it, 

"  If  this  elevator  was  in  America  they  would  probably  crowd  in  just  as 
many  people  as  could  stand  in  it,  no  matter  how  much  the  passengers  were 

squeezed.  But  that 
isn't  the  way  they 
do  things  in  France. 
Omnibuses,  tram- 
cars,  and  all  oth- 
er kinds  of  public 
conveyance  never 
take  more  passen- 
gers than  can  find 
places  to  sit,  except 
some  of  the  omni- 
buses, which  have  a 
certain  number  of 
standing  places  on 
the  rear  platform. 
"When  all  the  seats 
of  an  omnibus  are 
taken  they  display  a 
little  sign  bearing 
the  word  'Complet' 
(Full),  and  then  it 
doesn't  stop  to  take 
up  any  more  pas- 
sengers until  some 
have  left  it.  And 
that  reminds  me  of 
writing  letters.  a   story    connected 


ON   THE  PLATFORMS.  209 

with  that  word  which  I'll  tell  right  here,  although  you  may  possibly 
have  heard  it  before. 

"  An  American  who  was  once  in  Paris  and  knew  nothing  of  the  lan- 
guage used  to  go  about  the  city  on  the  omnibuses,  and  in  this  way  he 
visited  all  the  principal  points.  But  he  complained  to  a  friend  that  there 
was  one  place,  called  Complet,  which  he  could  never  get  to.  He  had  seen 
a  great  many  omnibuses  going  to  it,  and  had  hailed  them,  but  they  were 
always  full  and  would  never  stop  for  him.  He  knew  that  the  place 
must  be  worth  seeing,  as  there  were  so  many  people  going  there. 

"  The  elevator  here  takes  only  just  as  many  passengers  as  it  can  seat, 
and  when  all  the  seats  are  occupied  the  door  is  closed.  We  took  our 
places  in  the  line,  and  had  to  wait  perhaps  a  quarter  of  an  hour  before 
there  was  room  for  us.  But  the  time  was  not  by  any  means  wasted,  as 
we  had  leisure  to  study  the  crowd  ;  and  a  very  interesting  one  it  was. 

"  There  were  very  few  who  appeared  to  be  residents  of  Paris.  I  sup- 
pose the  residents  have  already  seen  the  tower,  or  else  are  waiting  for 
a  convenient  day  to  ascend  it,  just  as  people  in  Buffalo  are  waiting  for  a 
convenient  day  to  visit  Xiagara  Falls,  which  they  have  lived  within 
twenty  miles  of  for  years  and  years  but  have  never  seen.  The  French- 
speaking  people  in  the  crowd  appeared  to  be  almost  without  exception 
from  the  rural  part  of  France  or  from  some  other  country.  There  were 
several  Russians  and  three  or  four  Belgians  talking  French  to  one  an- 
other, and  then  there  were  Swiss,  Spaniards,  Italians ;  and  we  must  not 
forget  that  there  were  English  and  Americans. 

"  Some  of  the  strangers  had  never  seen  an  elevator  before,  and  their 
performances  on  the  way  up  were  interesting.  One  man  tried  the  floor 
by  stamping  on  it  to  see  if  there  was  danger  that  the  elevator  would 
break  down,  and  his  friend  shook  it  by  the  hand-rail  in  a  similar  investi- 
gation as  to  its  durability.  When  the  machinery  was  set  in  motion  and 
the  lift  was  under  way  some  of  the  women  gave  little  hysterical  screams, 
and  one  turned  pale  and  appeared  as  though  she  would  faint.  Some 
Americans  who  were  evidently  from  the  rural  districts  commented  upon 
the  price  of  the  journey,  and  came  to  the  conclusion  that  eighty  cents 
for  a  distance  of  less  than  a  thousand  feet  was  altogether  too  much. 
'  I've  been  from  Boston  to  Portland  for  fifty  cents,'  said  one, '  and  that's 
more'n  a  hundred  miles.  Eighty  cents  for  this  'ere  ride's  a  swindle,  but 
I  s'pose  it's  because  they  take  us  up  in  the  air  instead  of  going  on  a 
level.     Don't  see  what  else  it  can  be.' 

"  We  changed  from  one  elevator  to  another  at  the  first  platform.  We 
had  to  wait  here  for  our  turn,  as  at  the  foot  of  the  tower,  but  Fred  was 

14 


210 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IX  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


CHIEF    OF    THE    GUARDS. 


right  when  he  said  there  was  plenty  of  room  to  wait  in.  If  you  are 
thirsty  or  hungry  there  is  a  restaurant  that  is  ready  to  supply  you  with 
drink  or  food ;  and  one  of  our  American  fellow-passengers  suggested 
that  they  ought  to  have  a  regular  hotel  up  there,  where  people  could 

lodge,  and  he  was  sure  it  would  he  pat- 
ronized. Frank  stepped  aside  and  had  a 
short  conversation  with  the  head  waiter  of 
the  restaurant,  but  we  did  not  learn  until 
later  what  they  were  talking  about. 

"  A  large  proportion  of  the  visitors  had 
only  taken  tickets  to  this  platform.     Some 
of  them  bought  places  to  the  second  plat- 
form after  reaching  this  one.  and  others 
did  not.     Probably   the   managers   of  the 
tower  have  found  it  to  their  advantage  to 
permit   people  to   buy  on   the   instalment 
plan.      Many   who   would   not   spend  the 
eighty  cents  required  for  a  through  ticket 
will  readily  buy  to  the  first  platform,  and 
perhaps  afterwards  they  will  make  the  en- 
tire journey.     Even  if  they  go  no  farther  than  this  the  company  has 
obtained  a  revenue  from  them  which  otherwise  it  would  not  have  ob- 
tained at  all.     Human  nature  is  sometimes  cpteer. 

'■  "\Ye  R-ent  on  as  soon  as  we  could  to  the  upper  story.  I'll  tell  you 
more  about  the  first  platform  when  we  get  back  to  it. 

"  We  changed  at  the  second  and  third  floors  without  delay,  and  pres- 
ently found  ourselves  at  the  top,  where  we  had  what  may  be  called  a 
bird's-eye  view.  A  gentleman  who  was  here  in  ISIS,  and  went  up  in  the 
captive  balloon  which  they  had  that  year,  says  the  view  from  the  top 
floor  of  the  tower  is  exactly  like  that  from  the  balloon.  Xo  wonder 
it  was,  as  the  balloon  went  up  to  a  height  of  1000  feet,  and  this  is  the 
height  where  we  are  now.     And  what  a  view  it  is ! 

"  There  was  a  custodian,  or  guide,  on  the  top  floor  to  point  out  the 
places  of  interest.  He  told  us  that  the  range  of  vision  extended  thirty 
miles  in  every  direction,  and  he  pointed  out  villages  and  towns  fifteen, 
twenty,  and  more  miles  away,  to  prove  the  correctness  of  what  he  said. 
He  indicated  the  forts  which  protect  the  city ;  as  for  indicating  the  city 
itself,  there  was  no  need  of  his  doing  so.  for  it  lay  before  us  like  a  map 
on  a  carpet.  The  Seine  wriggles  through  the  city  like  a  silver  serpent, 
and  you  can  trace  it  from  one  side  of  your  range  of  vision  to  the  other 


VIEW  FROM   THE   SUMMIT. 


211 


without  the  least  difficulty,  save  where  it  is  embowered  here  and  there 
in  the  forest.  "We  can  follow  the  roads  in  the  Bois  de  Boulogne,  and, 
turning  to  the  other  side  of  the  picture,  can  do  the  same  in  the  Bois  de 
Vincennes.  The  spires  of  the  great  churches  are  all  far  below  us — in 
fact,  there  is  nothing  to  interfere  with  our  sight  in  any  direction.  Yes, 
there  was  something ;  it  was  a  shower  that  came  sweeping  along  from 
the  west  and  for  a  little  while  buried  from  our  vision  all  that  lay  beneath 
it.  A  cloud  passed  along  where  we  stood,  and  we  felt  the  rain-drops 
pattering,  though  luckily  there  were  not  many  of  them,  and  the  sky  was 
soon  clear  again  and  the  picture  bright  as  ever. 

"  I  was  afraid  to  look  straight  down  to  the  ground  for  fear  of  ver- 
tigo, but  ventured  to  do  so  after  some  encouragement  from  Frank  and 
Fred.  As  for  mamma,  she  Avould  not  venture  to  look  beneath  her,  but 
only  studied  the  far-off  horizon  and  the  objects  upon  it.  She  looked 
once  at  the  dome  of  the  Invalides,  but  felt  her  head  swimming  and 
gave  it  up.     Many  persons  are  thus  affected. 

"  When  I  got  so  that  I  could  look  down  I  saw  a  funny  sight.  The 
people  on  the  ground  were  like  ants,  Avith  the  exception  that  they  were 
much  shorter  than  those  little  insects.  We  could  see  a  spot  of  black  or 
some  other  color,  and  see  that  it  Avas  moving,  and  that  is  about  all  we 
could  make  out.  Down 
on  the  Seine  AA'e  watched 
the  little  steamboats  mov- 
ing up  and  down  the 
stream ;  they  resembled 
caterpillars  more  than 
anything  else,  and  so 
did  the  trains  on  the 
railways,  though  Frank 
thought  the  trains  might 
be  compared  to  centi- 
pedes or  possibly  to  small 
snakes.  But,  no  matter 
what  Ave  saw,  Ave  were 
all  the  time  impressed 
with  the  fact  that  we 
were  very  small  folks  ourselves,  and  the  world  around  us  was  very  large. 

"  The  sun  Avas  warm  up  there,  but  the  wind  was  cold  ;  when  the  sun 
was  obscured  by  a  cloud  the  temperature  changed  very  suddenly,  and  it 
was  like  the  contrast  betAveen  early  spring  and  full  midsummer.    When 


'/ 


A    FULL    WINDOW. 


212 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


PARIS    FROM    THE    FOl'RTH    FLOOR. 


the  little  shower  came,  there  was  a  strong  gust  of  wind  with  it,  and  we 
could  perceive  very  distinctly  that  the  tower  vibrated.  Some  of  the 
people  turned  pale,  as  if  they  thought  the  tower  was  going  to  fall,  or  at 
all  events  was  liable  to  do  so.  The  custodian  assured  them  that  there 
was  not  the  least  danger ;  that  the  tower  was  built  to  stand  the  strong- 
est wind  that  could  blow,  and  was  just  as  safe  as  the  court-yard  of  the 
Hotel  Drouotj  or  the  auditorium  of  the  Opera-house. 

'•  IVe  lingered  for  some  time,  and  wanted  to  go  to  the  little  platform 
beneath  the  lantern,  but  found  that  the  place  and  the  stairway  leading 


A  CONCERT  IN  THE  AIR.  213 

to  it  were  not  open  to  the  public.  So  we  went  back  to  the  first  plat- 
form, where  we  found  what  Frank  had  been  talking  about  to  the  head 
waiter  of  the  restaurant ;  he  had  ordered  dinner  for  us,  and  it  was  all 
ready  to  be  served  as  soon  as  we  were  seated. 

"  It  was  a  dinner  in  the  air,  and  very  nice  it  was.  Frank  said  the 
prices  were  as  high  as  the  place,  but  he  was  sure  there  would  be  no 
cause  to  complain  of  the  ventilation,  or  the  danger  of  drowning  bj  a 
sudden  overflow  of  the  Seine.  We  had  a  seat  by  one  of  the  windows ; 
and  as  we  sat  at  table  we  looked  out  over  the  city,  and  could  study  it 
all  the  way  from  the  soup  to  the  dessert  and  coffee.  In  some  respects 
the  view  is  better  than  that  from  the  upper  story ;  you  can't  see  for  so 
long  a  distance,  but  what  you  do  bring  into  your  range  of  vision  is  much 
more  distinct,  and  you  are  certainly  high  enough. 

"  There  is  a  gallery  all  around  the  platform,  and  you  might  suppose 
that  the  people  on  it  would  constantly  obstruct  our  view ;  but  they 
did  nothing  of  the  sort,  as  the  floor  of  the  gallery  is  four  or  five  feet 
lower  than  ours,  and  consequently  we  looked  over  the  heads  of  all  the 
promenaders,  and  had  a  clear  range  at  all  times. 

"  We  waited  till  the  light  of  day  faded  out  in  the  sky  and  the  stars 
appeared  one  by  one ;  then  the  gas  and  electric  lights  shone  below  us, 
and  what  an  hour  before  was  a  stretch  of  gray  and  red  roofs  seamed 
with  streets  and  dotted  with  parks  and  squares,  became  a  broad  field  of 
sparkling  lamps  whose  number  seemed  to  be  millions.  We  could  trace 
some  of  the  streets  and  avenues  by  the  lines  of  lamps,  and  altogether 
the  scene  was  one  long  to  be  remembered.  Then  we  listened  to  music, 
for  they  have  a  concert  here  in  the  evening,  and  the  hour  was  well  ad- 
vanced before,  in  travellers'  parlance,  we  had  '  clone '  the  Eiffel  Tower 
and  were  ready  to  descend  to  the  ground  and  go  home. 

"  And  in  conclusion  let  me  say  that  the  tower  is  not  at  all  pretty ; 
and  I  wonder  that  a  people  so  devoted  to  beauty  and  possessing  so 
much  taste  as  the  French  can  be  as  proud  as  they  are  of  this  triumph 
of  engineering  art.  It  is  great,  it  is  a  monument  of  ingenuity,  but  it  is 
no  more  beautiful  than  a  giraffe  or  a  heap  of  stones  in  a  field.  It  is  the 
work  of  an  engineer  and  not  of  an  artist — the  product  of  cold  calcula- 
tion and  not  of  sentiment,  or  a  taste  for  beauty. 

"  And  speaking  of  sentiment  reminds  me  that  there  seems  to  be  a 
perfect  mania  on  the  part  of  visitors  to  write  their  names  on  the  top  of 
the  tower.  The  scribblers  attack  the  paint  with  pencils  and  sometimes 
with  ink,  and  the  managers  have  wisely  placed  sheets  of  paper  in  frames, 
the  sheets  being  changed  every  day  and  kept  for  binding  in  an  album. 


214 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


By  the  end  of  the  day  the  sheets  are  covered  with  names  of  people  from 
all  parts  of  the  world,  and  some  of  the  writers  indulge  in  comments, 
either  sentimental  or  otherwise.  One  English  or  American  writer  to-day 
had,  like  Mr.  "Wegg,  dropped  into  poetry,  with  the  following  result : 

"  '  This  is  a  loft}-  tower, 
The  tallest  of  the  tall ; 
And  folks  way  down  below  us — 
My  gracious  !  ain't  they  small '!' 

"  This  is  a  fair  average  of  the  fourth-story  poetry  of  the  Eiffel  Tower, 
and  I  won't  torture  you  with  any  more." 

On  returning  to  their  hotel  our  friends  found  a  note  from  Mr.  Jack- 
son, the  American  gentleman  who  had  so  kindly  secured  tickets  for 
them  to  the  public  session  of  the  French  Academy,  which  was  described 
in  a  previous  chapter.  Mr.  Jackson  said  he  had  obtained  permission  to 
take  them  to  the  house  of  a  Parisian  lady  of  high  literary  distinction. 
Her  salon  would  be  held  on  the  following  evening,  and  he  wished  to 
know  if  they  would  be  pleased  to  go. 


THF    TOWER    BY    NIGHT. 


21  (3        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

The  invitation  was  accepted  without  delay,  as  Mrs.  Eassett  and 
Mary  greatly  desired  to  be  introduced  to  a  French  salon,  and  to  learn 
in  what  way  it  differed  from  an  evening  reception  in  any  other  civilized 
country.  Mrs.  Bassett  was  puzzled  to  understand  why  the  French 
should  call  an  evening  party  by  the  name  of  the  place  where  it  was 
given.  Frank  explained  that  it  was  the  custom  of  the  country,  and  this 
explanation  was  accepted  as  quite  satisfactory,  in  view  of  the  fact  that 
there  was  no  other  conveniently  at  hand. 

Frank  explained  to  his  mother  and  sister  that  the  French  salon  was 
a  feature  of  society  which  had  no  exact  counterpart  in  England  or 
America.  It  had  its  beginning  in  the  last  century  before  the  revolu- 
tion of  1789,  and  the  salon  of  that  time  had  almost  always  a  political 
character.  One  writer  has  defined  it  as  a  sociable  assemblage  of  per- 
sons of  the  same  taste  in  the  drawing-room  of  a  sympathetic  woman. 
Its  purpose  is  to  have  some  object  of  meeting  other  than  the  ordinary 
small-talk  of  an  evening  reception;  and  the  object  may  be  political, 
literary,  scientific,  or  artistic — anything  that  will  bring  cultivated  peo- 
ple together,  and  enable  them  to  pass  the  time  so  that  it  shall  not  be 
regarded  as  wasted,  at  least  in  theory. 

"  Every  famous  woman  of  France  in  the  past  hundred  years,"'  said 
Frank,  '•  has  had  her  salon,  and  it  was  through  it,  in  many  instances, 
that  she  became  famous.  As  every  rule  has  its  exceptions,  there  may 
have  been  celebrated  women  without  salons,  but  the  number  is  small. 
It  is  in  the  salon  that  women  have  exercised  their  power  in  politics, 
finance,  art,  and  many  other  things  for  which  Paris  is  renowned ;  and 
more  than  one  important  movement  in  the  political  world  has  had  its 
beginning;  in  one  of  these  feminine  autocracies ;  and  even*  Frenchman 
of  renown  has  been  at  one  time  or  another  the  frequenter  of  a  salon, 
and  is  supposed  to  have  shaped  his  course  to  some  extent,  at  any  rate, 
in  consequence  of  what  he  learned  there.  Even  the  great  Xapoleon 
patronized  the  salon  of  Madame  Hamelin,  Guizot  was  a  regular  attend- 
ant at  the  receptions  of  Madame  De  Lieven,  and  Thiers  did  not  often 
miss  the  evenings  when  Princess  Troubetskoi  was  '  at  home.' 

••  In  later  times,"  he  continued,  "  there  have  been  salons  in  great 
number,  though  the  number  of  political  ones,  unless  their  feeliugs  were 
imperial,  was  greatly  restricted  under  the  second  empire,  owing  to  the 
sharp  eye  which  the  Government  kept  on  all  assemblages  that  might  be 
considered  hostile  to  the  existing  Government.  Politics  could  not  be 
freely  discussed,  for  the  reason  that  nobody  could  tell  who  might  be  a 
spy  or  when  the  entire  party  might  find  itself  carried  away  to  prison. 


21S        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IX  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

But  in  spite  of  the  severity  of  the  Government  there  were  several  salons 
where  Republicans  were  in  the  habit  of  meeting,  and  there  can  be  little 
doubt  that  in  these  assemblages  were  promulgated  some  of  the  ideas 
which  resulted  in  the  establishment  of  the  present  republic." 

A  very  readable  account  was  written  several  years  ago  by  Madame 
Edmond  Adam  relative  to  the  formation  of  her  salon.  It  was  in  the 
daj's  of  the  second  empire  that  she  came  to  reside  in  Paris,  and  formed 
the  acquaintance  of  the  Countess  d'Agoult.  She  was  invited  to  attend 
the  receptions  of  the  countess,  and  there  met  several  men  who  had  al- 
ready gained  prominence,  or  afterwards  became  prominent,  in  the  polit- 
ical world.  They  were  all  opposed  to  the  empire,  and  longed  for  the 
downfall  of  Napoleon  III. ;  some  of  them  had  refused  to  take  the 
oath  of  allegiance  to  the  empire,  and  some  had  taken  it  with  more  or 
less  mental  reserve  as  to  their  intentions  of  keeping  it.  In  course  of 
time  Madame  Adam  began  to  gather  some  of  her  friends  about  her  at 
dinner  on  Friday  of  each  week,  other  friends  were  invited  to  drop  in 
after  the  dinner,  and  in  this  way  her  salon  was  formed.  It  became  a 
meeting-place  for  men  of  varying  shades  of  opinion,  but  all  agreed  as  to 
their  opposition  to  the  empire.  "When  the  republic  came  into  existence 
the  salon  of  this  energetic  woman  was  recognized  as  one  of  the  forces 
that  had  brought  about  the  change  of  Government. 

Madame  Adam  gives  an  interesting  anecdote  concerning  her  first 
meeting  with  Leon  Gambetta,  who  afterwards  became  one  of  the  lead- 
ing men  of  the  republic,  as  most  readers  are  aware.  Her  husband  sug- 
gested that  Gambetta  should  be  invited  to  one  of  their  Friday  dinners, 
and  a  note  of  invitation  was  sent  accordingly.  Here  is  the  lady's  ac- 
count of  his  arrival  aud  reception : 

"  He  imagined,  as  he  afterwards  told  me,  that  he  was  coming  to  the 
table  of  a  literary  woman,  a  blue-stocking,  and  so  he  arrived  dressed  in 
one  of  those  costumes  that  one  wears  in  the  morning  for  want  of  some- 
thing better.  His  coat  was  neither  a  frock-coat  nor  a  jacket,  but  some- 
thing between  a  pilot -coat  and  an  overcoat.  As  he  was  subject  to 
bronchitis,  he  wore  a  check  flannel  shirt,  on  which  he  had  pinned  a  white 
collar  and  cuffs,  but  the  flannel  was  visible  in  certain  places,  and  he  push- 
ed back  the  recalcitrant  folds  with  an  ease  that  betrayed  long  habit. 

"Adam  and  our  friends  were  all  in  evening-dress,  and  I  in  a  decol- 
lete gala  costume.  Gambetta  looked  at  us  with  amazement.  Eugene 
Pelletan,  who  knew  him,  greeted  him  cordially,  and  then  introduced  the 
new-comer  to  me.  Gambetta  apologized  for  not  having  a  dress-coat. 
'  I  never  wear  one,'  he  said,  '  and  if  I  had  known — ' 


MADAME    EDMOND    ADAM   (JULIETTE    LAMBER). 


220        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

" '  You  would  not  have  come,  monsieur.  That  is  very  unamiable  on 
your  part,'  I  replied,  laughing,  as  he  paused. 

"  Pelletan,  with  his  usual  kindness,  then  said,  'Madame  Adam  pre- 
fers that  her  friends  should  not  come  to  her  house  in  evening-dress.' 

"  However,  the  appearance  of  the  room  demonstrated  the  contrary. 
My  old  friend  Jules  de  Lasteyrie,  said  to  me,  in  a  whisper.  '  A  frock- 
coat  I  can  admit — yes  ;  but  I  cannot  go  as  far  as  that.1 

"  It  was  Lasteyrie's  arm  which  I  should  have  taken  to  go  in  to  din- 
ner, and  I  replied,  'And  yet,  my  dear  friend,  the  only  way  to  rehabili- 
tate that  at  my  table  is  to  give  it  the  best  place.  It  is  you  whom  I  de- 
prive, but  you  will  approve  me,  I'm  sure." 

"  He  put  on  his  air  of  the  grand  gentleman  that  he  was,  and  an- 
swered, '  You  are  quite  right ;  that  is  what  must  be  done.' 

"  I  took  Gambetta's  arm,  to  his  profound  astonishment,  and  I  placed 
him  at  table  on  my  right  hand,  while  Jules  de  Lasteyrie  sat  at  my  left. 

"  Hardly  had  we  taken  our  seats  when  Gambetta  leaned  towards 
me  and  whispered,  '  Madame,  you  may  be  sure  that  I  shall  never  for- 
get a  lesson  given  in  this  manner.' 

"  He  had  something  of  the  grand  nature  in  him.  This  place  on 
my  right  hand  Gambetta  was  destined  to  keep  in  my  house." 


"When  Mr.  Jackson  called  to  accompany  the  party  to  the  reception 
to  which  they  were  invited  he  found  them  all  ready  to  start,  though 
it  was  yet  some  minutes  in  advance  of  the  time  for  departure.  The 
interval  was  spent  in  conversation  about  the  salons  of  Paris,  and  in 
the  course  of  the  conversation  allusion  was  made  to  that  of  Madame 
Adam,  and  the  lady's  reception  of  Gambetta. 

"  Her  salon  was  at  the  height  of  its  influence  and  power  when  Gam- 
betta was  prominent  in  the  affairs  of  the  republic,"  said  Mr.  Jackson. 
"  It  was  the  place  of  meeting  of  many  of  those  who  had  not  failed  to 
denounce  the  coup-d'etat  as  a  crime,  and  who  had  the  satisfaction  of 
seeing  its  responsible  head  sent  into  exile,  where  he  did  not  long  sur- 
vive. After  Gambetta's  death  it  declined  in  importance,  and  ceased  to 
be  a  resort  of  statesmen  and  politicians;  but  it  was  not  discontinued. 
Madame  Adam  had  been,  and  still  is,  prominent  in  the  literary  world, 
and  her  salon  is  a  resort  of  literary  and  artistic  people  whose  sympa- 
thies are  with  the  present  Government — or,  at  all  events,  are  not  in  fa- 
vor of  a  return  of  the  empire.  Some  one  has  said  that  the  society  to  be 
found  there  is  as  mixed  as  that  in  a  biographical  dictionary;  but  this 


MADAME   ADAM.  221 

condition  of  affairs  cannot  be  helped.  "Where  one  keeps  open  house  for 
distinguished  people  of  all  kinds  in  literature,  art,  science,  or  anything 
else,  the  assemblage  cannot  always  be  of  the  very  best.'' 

"  Please  tell  me  something  more  about  the  lady,"  said  Mary.  "  I 
feel  an  interest  in  knowing  something  more  about  her." 

"  She  was  born  at  Verberie  in  1S36,  and  was  married  when  quite 
young  to  a  country  notary,  who  seems  to  have  been  of  very  little  con- 
sequence. She  wrote  some  newspaper  and  magazine  articles  and  pub- 
lished a  book,  and  then  came  to  Pai'is  to  earn  her  living  by  literature. 
She  had  a  hard  struggle  at  first,  but  finallv  attracted  the  attention  of 
the  leading  Republicans.  Her  first  husband  died,  and  then  she  married 
Edmond  Adam,  a  prominent  Republican  who  had  a  considerable  fort- 
une, which  he  left  to  her  on  his  death  in  1S77.  She  has  written  a  great 
deal  for  the  magazines,  has  published  several  stories,  and  she  founded 
La  JVouvelle  Sevue,  which  is  one  of  the  leading  magazines  of  Paris. 
She  finds  time  to  edit  this  magazine,  do  her  other  literary  work,  and 
shine  in  society,  though  she  is  not  as  active  as  she  was  a  few  years  ago. 
Formerly  she  allowed  herself  but  five  hours  a  day  for  rest,  but  her 
health  broke  down  under  the  strain,  and  she  is  now  more  careful  of 
herself.  When  she  began  her  literary  career  she  adopted  the  pen-name 
of  'Juliette  Lamber,'  and  by  that  cognomen  she  is  better  known  than 
by  her  own,  especially  in  the  world  of  literature. 

"  It  is  time  for  us  to  go,"  said  Mr.  Jackson,  as  he  glanced  at  the 
clock  on  the  mantel ;  and  in  a  very  few  minutes  they  were  on  their 
way  to  the  reception. 


222 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUUUPE. 


CHAPTER    XIII. 


AX  EVENING  RECEPTION.— JULES  SIMON  AXD  OTHER  MEN"  OF  NOTE.—  CONYERSA- 
TIOX  AT  THE  SALOX.— SOME  FAMOUS  SALONS.— DR.  EVANS  AXD  HIS  HOUSE.— 
EEMIXISCEXCESOF  THE  EMPRESS  EUGENIE;  HER  ESCAPE  FROM  PARIS.— A  CHAT 
ABOUT  THE  EMPIRE  AXD  TilE  XAPOLEOXIC  FAMILY.— A  SHORT  HISTORY  OF  THE 
COUP-D'ETAT;  HOW  THE  PLANS  WERE  LAID  AND  CARRIED  OUT.— VICTOR 
HUGO  AND  OTHER  EXILES.— IN  THE  GREAT  SHOPS.— MARY'S  ACCOUNT  OF  SHOP- 
PING.—A  DISSERTATION  OX  FAXS.— HOW  A  FRAUD  WAS  DETECTED.— EVOLUTION" 
OF  THE  BONNET.— FASHIONS  IN  DIFFERENT  YEARS.— BIRDS  IN  THE  GARDENS.— 
THE  "BIRD  CHARMER." 


w 


E  had  a  very  agreeable  and  interesting-  evening  at  Madame  • 


salon,"  wrote  Fred  in  his  journal,  "  and  met  sevei'al  gentlemen 
of  distinction  there.     But  it  is  proper  to  say  that  we  did  not  have 

much  conversation  with  the 
great  men,  as  there  was  always 
a  little  knot  of  people  about 
them  eno-agino-  their  attention. 
~\Xe  could  only  look  on  at  a 
distance  and  be  satisfied  with 
talking  with  lesser  individuals." 
•■  One  of  the  gentlemen  we 
saw  there  was  Jules  Simon,  who 
is  a  member  of  the  Academy, 
and  has  occupied  a  prominent 
place  in  French  politics  for  a 
great  many  years.  He  is  an 
'  advanced  liberal.'  so  we  are 
told,  and  the  present  republic 
owes  much  to  him  for  his  aid  in 
shaping  its  policy  during  the 
first  years  of  its  existence.  He 
is  a  life  member  of  the  French 
Senate,  and  takes  an  active 
part  in  its  debates ;  and  besides 


JCLES    SIMON. 


AT   THE   RECEPTION.  223 

his  connection  with  politics,  he  has  high  rank  as  an  author  of  books  on 
various  subjects. 

"  In  the  course  of  the  evening1  we  were  introduced  to  this  gentle- 
man,"  Fred  continued,  "  and  he  said  some  very  complimentary  things 
about  the  United  States,  and  regretted  that  he  had  not  time  to  make  a 
visit  to  our  country  and  travel  through  all  parts  of  it,  so  that  he  might 
understand  it  better  than  he  did  at  present.  He  chatted  several  min- 
utes with  Mary,  asking  her  what  she  liked  best  in  France,  and  seeming 
very  much  pleased  when  she  said  she  had  been  trying  to  discover  some- 
thing to  find  fault  with,  but  thus  far  had  not  been  successful.  The  fact 
is,  Frank  and  I  are  a  little  jealous  of  Mary  because  she  takes  attention 
away  from  us ;  when  she  is  present  we  generally  have  to  stand  in  the 
background  or  wander  by  ourselves. 

"  Another  man  whose  name  is  well  known,  and  whom  we  saw  dur- 
ing the  evening  is  Leon  Say,  an  author  and  statesman  whose  politics  are 
as  Republican  as  those  of  M.  Simon ;  he  is  an  author  and  journalist  of 
distinction,  has  been  Minister  of  Finance,  and  was  chosen  President  of 
the  Senate  in  1SS0.  He  edited  the  Journal  des  Dehats  for  a  long  time, 
and  is  said  to  write  a  good  deal  for  it  now.  Then  we  saw  the  Vicomte 
de  Yogiie,  Ludovic  Halevy,  and  some  other  literary  and  musical  gen- 
tlemen whose  names  I  have  forgotten.  Jules  Claretie,  the  director  of 
the  Comedie  Francaise,  ran  in  for  a  few  minutes  only.  One  of  the  feat- 
ures of  a  Parisian  salon  is  that  you  are  at  liberty  to  come  and  go  as  you 
like ;  probably  the  hostess  would  prefer  that  her  visitors  should  stay 
through  the  evening,  but  many  of  them  have  several  calls  to  make,  and 
they  divide  their  time  as  best  they  can. 

"  The  visitors  talked  about  art,  politics,  music,  drama,  anything  and 
everything  that  happened  to  come  up  at  the  time,  and  there  was  a  buzz 
of  conversation  all  over  the  large  parlor  and  in  two  smaller  parlors  or 
alcoves  at  opposite  sides.  The  walls  of  the  parlor  were  hung  with  pict- 
ures that  showed  the  excellent  taste  with  which  they  were  selected,  and 
there  were  vases  of  flowers  on  the  tables  and  a  liberal  amount  of  bric-a- 
brac  all  around.  The  chairs  and  sofas  were  ranged  close  to  the  wall 
and  around  the  tables.  Most  of  the  gentlemen  stood  for  the  greater 
part  of  the  evening,  as  there  were  so  many  ladies  present  that  they  re- 
cpured  the  most  of  the  seats  in  the  parlors. 

"  Mr.  Jackson  told  us  that  if  we  could  make  the  rounds  of  all  the 
salons  of  Paris  we  should  see  a  great  variety  of  furniture  and  decora- 
tion. Some  of  the  salons  of  the  old  aristocracy  are  rich  in  imperial  and 
roval  souvenirs.     One  salon  is  fitted  throughout  in  Turkish  style,  with 


224 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


A    CORNER    IN    A    SALON. 


cushions  and  material  direct  from  the  East ;  and  there  can  be  no  mistake 
about  them,  as  they  were  sent  to  the  hostess  by  Abd-el-Kader,  who  was 
a  frequenter  of  this  salon  when  he  lived  in  Paris.  The  apartment  of 
one  wealthy  lady  who  receives  her  friends  on  Thursdays  contains  fur- 
niture from  nearly  every  country  in  the  world,  arranged  in  different 
rooms.  One  room  is  French,  another  English,  another  Turkish,  another 
Chinese  or  Japanese;  there  used  to  be  a  German  room,  but  the  furni- 
ture was  removed  during  the  war  of  1870,  and  some  antique  pieces  from 
Holland  and  Italy  were  put  in  its  place.  Germany  is  so  unpopular 
here  that  nothing  from  that  country  will  be  tolerated.  We  have  found 
it  judicious  to  say  as  little  as  possible  about  it— in  fact,  we  do  not  say 
that  we  ever  heard  of  Allemagne,  unless  the  question  is  propounded 
directly  and  cannot  be  evaded. 

"  So  much  for  French  society.  TVe  must  not  forget  a  visit  to  the 
house  of  Dr.  Evans,  the  famous  American  dentist,  who  has  lived  for 
many  years  in  Paris,  and  looked  into  more  imperial,  royal,  princely,  and 
o-rand-ducal  mouths  than  any  other  man  that  ever  lived.     He  has  ac- 


A   FUGITIVE  EMPRESS.  225 

cumulated  a  large  fortune,  and.  his  house  is  one  of  the  finest  in  this  city 
of  fine  houses.  Mrs.  Evans  has  a  weekly  reception,  and  we  went  there 
on  her  invitation.  The  house  contains  a  great  many  choice  paintings 
and  other  works  of  art,  and  there  is  a  very  interesting  collection  of  sou- 
venirs, which  the  doctor  has  received  from  his  imperial  and  royal  pa- 
tients. The  doctor  is  a  great  lover  of  birds,  and  I'm  sure  I  never  saw 
such  a  fine  collection  of  winged  pets  anywhere  outside  of  a  public  me- 
nagerie, and  I  have  some  doubt  if  there  is  any  menagerie  which  contains 
as  many.     Some  of  his  birds  are  very  rare.    • 

"  Mrs.  Evans  showed  to  mamma  and  Mary  the  bonnet  which  the 
Empress  Eugenie  wore  on  the  occasion  of  her  flight  from  Paris.  Dr. 
Evans  had  a  close  personal  acquaintance  with  the  Emperor  and  Empress, 
and  on  the  night  of  September  4th,  when  the  downfall  of  the  empire 
was  proclaimed,  the  mob  took  possession  of  the  Palace  of  the  Tuileries, 
and  the  life  of  the  Empress  was  in  danger.  She  escaped  to  a  carriage, 
and  was  driven  to  this  very  house.  Dr.  Evans  was  at  dinner  with  some 
friends,  and  in  the  midst  of  the  dinner  a  servant  came  to  say  that  a  lady 
had  called  who  would  not  give  her  name,  but  insisted  upon  seeing  the 
doctor  immediately.  At  first  he  refused  to  go ;  then  suspecting  that 
it  might  be  some  one  who  had  come  to  seek  protection  from  the  mob, 
he  excused  himself  and  left  the  table.  When  he  met  the  lady  she 
raised  her  veil,  and  he  saw  it  was  the  Empress,  greatly  agitated  and  with 
her  stately  face  covered  with  tears. 

"  It  was  indeed  a  fugitive,  who  sought  his  protection  from  the  mob. 
When  she  left  the  Tuileries  she  was  escorted  to  a  carriage  by  an  Italian 
gentleman,  the  Chevalier  Nigra,  Just  as  she  stepped  into  the  carriage 
a  street  urchin  recognized  her  and  shouted,  Vbild  V Imperatrice  ! 

"The  chevalier  boxed  his  ears  and  said,  'You  little  rascal,  what  do 
mean  by  shouting,  Vive  la  Prusse  f  The  crowd  joined  in  the  assault 
upon  the  boy,  and  before  the  urchin  could  open  his  mouth  and  explain 
whom  he  saw  and  what  he  said,  the  carriage  had  disappeared  in  the  dis- 
tance and  was  on  its  way  to  Dr.  Evans's  house.  There  the  Empress  ex- 
changed her  bonnet  for  one  belonging  to  Mrs.  Evans,  and  made  other 
alterations  in  her  attire  so  as  to  prevent  recognition.  The  doctor  ac- 
companied her  in  her  flight  from  Paris,  and,  as  all  the  world  knows,  she 
reached  England,  whither  Louis  Philippe,  King  of  France,  had  fled  in 
much  the  same  way  thirty  and  more  years  before  across  the  Channel, 
to  seek  an  as}dum,  as  she  did,  under  the  British  flag. 

"  You  might  think  that  the  Republican  rulers  of  France  would  be 
very  unfriendly  to  Dr.  Evans  for  his  part  in  helping  the  Empress  to  es- 

15 


& 


226        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

cape,  but  such  is  not  the  case.  They  regarded  his  action  as  that  of  a 
personal  friend  and  not  a  politician,  as  he  has  never  meddled  in  any  way 
with  French  politics.  No  sensible  man  among  them  wished  the  Empress 
to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  mob,  no  matter  how  much  he  disliked  the 
empire.  And  then,  too,  Dr.  Evans  had  been  very  active  in  the  work  of 
the  Eed  Cross  Society  for  relieving  the  wounded  and  suffering  soldiers, 
and  had  spent  a  great  deal  of  mone}r  out  of  his  own  pocket  in  the 
society's  work.  He  organized  an  ambulance  corps,  which  saved  many  a 
life.  The  French  officials  recognized  his  valuable  services,  and  he  now 
holds  the  same  popularity  in  Paris  that  he  held  during  the  days  of  the 
empire,  and  is  on  the  best  of  terms  with  the  Government." 

"When  Fred  read  from  his  journal  the  foregoing  entry,  it  naturally 
led  to  questions  by  Mrs.  Bassett  and  Mary  regarding  the  empire  that 
preceded  the  present  republic.  Mrs.  Bassett  remarked  that  it  seemed 
to  her  the  Bonaparte  family  was  one  of  the  most  warlike  that  she  had 
ever  read  about — at  least,  in  modern  times. 

'•  It  has  certainly  been  the  most  inclined  to  war  of  any  family  of 
this  century,"  Frank  replied,  "  and  there  is  a  very  singular  circumstance 
connected  with  it  which  may  have  escaped  you." 

"  What  is  that  ?" 

"  It  is  that  not  a  single  one  of  all  the  family  has  died  on  the  battle- 
field, with  the  possible  exception  of  Prince  Louis,  the  son  of  Louis  Na- 
poleon, whose  official  title  was  Napoleon  IV." 

"  Yes,"  said  Mary,  "  that  is  true ;  and  not  one  of  them  has  died  while 
in  power.  Xapoleon  I.  died  a  prisoner  in  the  hands  of  the  English  ; 
Napoleon  III.  was  an  exile  on  English  soil  at  the  time  of  his  death ;  and 
as  for  the  second  and  fourth  Napoleons,  they  had  never  ruled  at  all  and 
died  away  from  France ;  and  the  only  one  to  lose  his  life  by  violence 
was  the  little  Prince  Louis,  who  was  speared  in  Africa  by  savage 
Zulus  while  on  a  scouting  expedition." 

"  I  wish  you  would  tell  me  about  the  coup-d'etat,  when  Louis  Xapo- 
leon came  into  power,"  said  Mrs.  Bassett.  "  I  was  trying  to  find  some- 
thing about  it  to-day  but  couldn't,  and  so  must  relv  on  you." 

"  It's  a  long  story  or  a  short  one,  as  you  choose  to  make  it,"  replied 
Fred.     "  I'll  try  to  make  it  brief." 

'•  I'm  ready  to  listen,  too,"  said  Mary. 

"  Well,  then,"  said  Fred,  "  you  know  there  was  a  revolution  in  1SL8. 
in  which  the  King,  Louis  Philippe,  was  driven  from  the  throne,  and  with 
his  whole  family  fled  to  England  for  safety." 

"  Yes,  I  know  all  that,"  said  Mary,  "  and  more,  too.     I  know  a  pro- 


EUGENIE,    EX-EMPRESS    OF    FRANCE. 


22«        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

visional  government  was  formed,  and  that  very  soon  it  had  lots  of  trou- 
ble on  its  hands.  The  members  quarrelled  among  themselves,  and  there 
was  a  good  deal  of  bloodshed  in  Paris ;  then  a  National  Assembly  was 
called  together,  and  it  chose  Louis  Napoleon  President  of  the  Republic. 


POLICE    CLEARING    THE    BOULEVARDS    AT    SIGHT. 

Very  soon  he  was  at  odds  with  the  National  Assembly,  and  manifested 
a  desire  to  have  things  to  his  own  liking.  He  thought  that  a  good  way 
to  silence  one  s  enemies  is  to  get  them  out  of  the  way,  and  that's  what 
he  proceeded  to  do  without  much  delay." 

"  Now  you  are  coming  to  the  coup-cPetat. 

"  Yes ;  but  you  can  tell  about  it  better  than  I  can." 

"  Well,  then,"  said  Fred,  "  Louis  Napoleon  laid  his  plans  for  a  grand 
stroke ;  and  as  it  was  a  matter  of  policy,  it  has  justly  been  called  from 
that  day  to  this  the  coup-d'etat  (stroke  of  policy). 

"The  plans  were  laid  by  Napoleon  and  his  three  most  trusted 
friends— Count  Moray,  General  St.  Arnaud,  and  the  Prefect  of  Police. 
M.  Maupas.  Troops  were  put  around  the  Government  Printing-office 
on  the  nio-ht   of  December  1.  1851,  and   several   proclamations  were 


THE   COUP-D'ETAT. 


229 


printed  and  made  ready  for  distribution.  Early  in  the  morning  of  De- 
cember 2d  sixteen  of  the  most  active  members  of  the  National  Assem- 
h\y,  and  more  than  a  hundred  other  individuals  who  were  active  oppo- 
nents of  the  President  and  his  policy,  were  arrested  in  their  beds  and 
lodged  in  prison  before  breakfast-time.  Troops  surrounded  the  hall  of 
the  Assembly  and  occupied  all  the  prominent  streets  and  squares  of 
Paris,  and  then  the  proclamations  appeared,  announcing  that  the  Assem- 
bly was  dissolved,  certain  laws  objectionable  to  the  President  were  sus- 
pended, and  a  new  election  for  the  Assembly  was  ordered  on  December 
14th.  A  new  constitution  was  proposed,  by  which  the  term  of  the  Pres- 
ident should  be  extended  to  ten  years,  and  as  the  whole  power  of  the 
Government  was  in  the  hands  of  the  President  he  had  things  his  own 
way.  Less  than  a  year  later  he  had  another  election,  which  made  him 
Emperor  for  life, 
with  power  to 
regulate  the  suc- 
cession in  his  own 
family,  and  he 
made  his  solemn 
entry  as  Emperor 
on  December  2, 
1852." 

Mrs.  Bassett 
asked  if  there 
was  a  great  deal 
of  bloodshed  at 
the  time  of  the 
coup-d 'etat. 

Frank     ex 
plained  that  the       J 
measures  of  Lou-      J| 
is  Napoleon  were 
so  carefully  tak- 
en that  there  was 
no   opportunity 
for    any    serious 
opposition.  Near- 
ly   all   the    men 
who   could  have 
led  in  resistance  the  late  prince  imperial,  napoleon  it. 


% 


230 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


had  been  lodged  in  jail ;  there  were  a  few  attempts  on  the  part  of  ex- 
cited individuals,  but  they  were  met  by  charges  of  police  and  soldiery, 
who  swept  through  the  streets  and  fired  upon  all  groups  of  people  that 


ICTOR    HUGO    AND    HIS    SRASDCBILDRKN. 


they  saw.  Many  innocent  spectators  were  shot  down,  people  were 
killed  at  their  windows,  and  altogether  it  is  said  that  not  far  from 
two  thousand  lives  were  sacrificed.  Several  times  during  December 
2d  3d  and  4th  the  troops  or  police  went  along  the  principal  boule. 
vards  'and  streets,  and  everybody  who  did  not  get  out  of  the  way  was 
liable  to  be  killed.  These  movements  were  kept  up  by  night  as  well 
as  by  day.  the  object  being  to  terrorize  the  entire  population  into  sub- 
mission and  prevent  anything  like  resistance. 


SHOPPING   IX  PARIS.  231 

"  What  became  of  the  men  who  were  arrested  on  the  night  of  De- 
cember 1st  !"  Mrs.  Bassett  asked,  after  a  brief  pause. 

"  Some  of  them  were  liberated  the  next  day  or  in  a  few  days,  when 
their  power  for  active  opposition  was  gone ;  others  were  sent  or  volun- 
tarily went  into  exile.  Among  them  was  Victor  Hugo,  who  lived  in 
the  island  of  Guernsey  until  the  fall  of  the  empire  and  the  re-establish- 
ment of  the  republic,  when  he  returned  to  Paris.  Here  he  lived  and 
received  the  homage  of  his  admirers  until  his  death  in  1885." 

Conversation  now  turned  upon  Victor  Hugo  and  his  work.  Mary 
reminded  her  mother  of  their  interest  in  "  Hernani,"  which  they  had 
seen  on  the  evening  of  their  visit  to  the  Comedie  Francaise.  Frank  said 
that  "  Hernani "  was  acted  as  early  as  1830,  and  was  one  of  many  plays 
that  owe  their  existence  to  this  celebrated  author.  One  of  his  latest 
stories  is  entitled  The  Art  of  Being  a  Grandfather,  and  one  portrait  of 
Victor  Hugo  represents  him  with  two  of  his  grandchildren  on  his  knees. 
He  is  said  to  have  been  very  fond  of  children,  and  whenever  his  birth- 
day came  around,  all  the  children  in  his  neighborhood  came  in  proces- 
sion to  congratulate  him  and  themselves  that  he  had  lived  so  long. 

On  the  day  following  the  evening  at  Madame 's  salon  Frank 

intimated  to  the  rest  of  the  party  that  they  must  shortly  continue  their 
journey,  as  they  had  seen  the  greater  part  of  the  sights  of  Paris,  and, 
furthermore,  their  time  was  limited. 

Mrs.  Bassett  and  Mary  expressed  their  willingness  to  move  on  when- 
ever desired,  but  at  the  same  time  they  intimated  that  their  shopping 
was  not  complete,  and  they  wished  to  be  indulged  a  little  longer. 

"  It's  the  best  place  in  the  world  for  shopping,"  said  Mrs.  Bassett,  by 
way  of  explanation.  "  The  French  have  better  taste  than  any  other 
people  in  the  world,  and  the  assortment  of  things  in  the  great  shops 
are  practically  endless.  I  don't  think  I  could  ever  get  tired  of  shop- 
ping in  Paris — well,  yes,  I  might  after  a  time,  especially  if  my  purse 
should  become  empty.  You  can't  do  much  buying  without  money, 
but  as  long  as  you  have  it  there  will  always  be  something  that  you 
want  and  feel  that  you  must  have." 

Mary  echoed  her  mother's  opinion,  and  we  can  imagine  that  most 
American  women,  whatever  their  age,  who  have  been  in  Paris  will 
agree  with  our  fair  tourists  on  the  subject  of  shopping. 

Mrs.  Bassett  was  warm  in  her  praise  of  the  French  system  of  assem- 
bling a  great  variety  of  merchandise  under  one  roof.  "  The  best  way 
to  shop  here,"  said  she,  "  is  to  make  out  a  list  of  what  you  want,  and 
then  go  to  the  Bon  Marche,  or  some  other  store  of  that  sort,  and  begin 


232 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


your  purchases.  You  may  not  find  all  that  you  desire,  but  you  will 
come  very  near  doing  so  if  you  are  not  too  particular." 

"The  French  system  has  been  adopted  to  some  extent  in  several 
cities  of  America,  has  it  not  ?"  queried  Frank. 

"  Yes  ;  in  New  York,  Philadelphia,  and  Chicago  they  have  establish- 


"ML---  -visrSi*-*  -..— c-  «  : 


FAN    IN    TIME    OF    LOUIS    XIV. 


ments  on  this  plan,"  was  the  reply,  "but  I  know  of  only  one  that  can 
hold  anything  like  a  close  comparison  with  the  Bon  Marche.  Probably 
we  shall  arrive  at  the  same  point  in  time,  and  it  will  be  a  blessing  to  the 
American  public,  especially  the  women,  when  we  do." 

Exactly  how  many  trunks  were  filled  with  good  things  from  Paris 
on  behalf  of  Mrs.  Bassett  and  her  daughter  we  will  not  pretend  to  say. 
The  trunks  were  duly  packed  and  stored,  so  that  they  could  be  shipped 
as  might  be  desired ;  and  when  this  duty  had  been  disposed  of  our  friends 
were  ready  to  continue  their  journey. 

"  What  did  they  buy  ?"  some  inquisitive  reader  may  ask. 

They  bought  all  sorts  of  articles  of  feminine  wear — dresses,  shawls, 
bonnets,  gloves,  hosiery,  and  we  can't  say  what  else.  The  reader  may 
look  at  the  catalogue  of  any  well-conducted  shop,  and  then  suppose  that 
each  article  on  the  list  received  due  attention.  They  bought  a  goodly 
number  of  souvenirs  for  friends  at  home,  and  their  selections  in  this  line 
were  numerous  and  of  great  variety. 

Mary  had  a  fondness  for  fans,  which  she  said  were  always  acceptable, 
whether  thev  cost  a  irreat  deal  of  monev  or  onlv  a  modest  sum.    "  I  have 


A    CELEBRATED    FAN. 


233 


been  studying  the  history  of  fans,"  she  wrote  in  her  journal,  "  and  have 
learned  some  very  interesting  things  about  the  fan  in  France. 

"  For  instance,"  she  continued,  "  I  have  learned  that  there  was  a  fan 
which  belonged  to  Madame  de  Pompadour,  and  is  still  in  existence.  It 
cost  nine  years  of  labor  to  make  it,  and  a  good  deal  of  money  was  ex- 
pended upon  it  in  addition  to  the  time  —  one  writer  says  £6000,  or 
§30,000.  It  was  painted  by  hand,  and  the  artist  was  one  of  the  best  of 
his  time.  It  was  made  out  of  paper  cut  to  imitate  lace,  and  the  paintings 
were  in  medallions  so  fine  that  a  magnifying-glass  is  needed  to  show  all 
their  details.  I'm  not  buj'ing  any  fans  of  that  sort,  and  have  not  seen 
any  that  are  worth  a  tenth,  or  even  a  twentieth,  part  of  the  price  which 
must  have  been  asked  for  such  a  work  of  art  as  that  was. 

"  I  find  that  the  fan  had  its  highest  development  in  the  time  of  Louis 
XIY.,  when  hand-painted  fans  costing  a  great  deal  of  money  were  all 
the  rage.  The  best  of  the  old  French  fans  belong  to  that  period.  One 
was  offered  to  us  a  few  days  ago  for  §500.  and  if  we  had  been  willing  to 
pay  §450  I  think  we  could  have  obtained  it.  A  gentleman  who  is  famil- 
iar with  the  fan  trade  tells  us  we  must  be  very  careful,  because  many 
modern  fans" are  being  palmed  off  as  antiques. 

"  I  heard  a  very  good  story  about  an  attempt  of  a  counterfeiter  of  fans 
to  deceive  a  would-be  purchaser.  But  before  giving  you  the  story  I 
must  tell  you  some  of  the  technical  terms  connected  with  a  fan,  which  is 
made  up  of  two  parts,  the  '  stick '  and  the  '  mount.'  You  can  understand 
what  the  sticks  are  without  further  explanation.  The  mount  is  the  part 
on  which  the  paintings  are  made,  and  it  may  be  of  cloth,  paper,  leather 
or  any  other  flexible  substance  of  similar  character.    The  outside  sticks, 


FAX    OF    LOUIS    XT.    PERIOD. 


234 


TIIE   BOY  TRAVELLERS   IN   CENTRAL   EUROPE. 


thicker  than  the  others,  are  called  '  guards,'  and  when  we  say  a  fan  is 
composed  of  a  certain  number  of  sticks  we  do  not  include  the  guards. 
The  point  where  the  mount  ceases,  and  leaves  the  sticks  bare  clown  to 


BRIDAL    KAN    BY    WATTEAU.       (1709.) 


the  pin  which  holds  them  together,  is  called  the  '  shoulder.'  Please  re- 
member these  things,  for  I  shall  probably  have  occasion  to  use  them  all. 

"  Fashions  change  in  fans  just  as  in  bonnets  or  dresses.  Sometimes 
the  shoulder  is  very  low  and  the  mount  correspondingly  deep.  This  was 
the  case  in  the  time  of  Louis  XIV.,  when  the  number  of  sticks  varied 
from  eighteen  up  to  twenty-one,  and  if  a  fan  had  more  or  less  than  that 
number  it  was  not  fashionable.  Fans  of  that  epoch  opened  out  to  a  full 
half-circle.  In  the  time  of  Louis  XY.  the  number  of  sticks  was  increased 
to  a  possible  twenty-two,  the  depth  of  the  mount  diminished,  the  sticks 
were  narrower,  and  the  fan  did  not  open  to  a  full  half-circle.  You  see 
what  fashion  can  do  in  this  as  in  other  things  ! 

"  The  style  of  painting  was  different  in  different  epochs.  At  one 
time  landscapes  and  groups  of  many  figures  were  all  the  rage,  while  at 
another  the  painting  sought  for  was  in  medallions,  either  of  individuals 
or  of  small  groups.  In  the  reign  of  one  king  a  fan  came  into  fashion 
which  had  no  mount  at  all,  the  sticks  being  extended  and  broadened, 
and  the  painting  was  made  on  their  surfaces,  so  that  when  opened  out 


SOMETHING  ABOUT  FANS. 


235 


the  edges  of  the  pictures  on  the  sticks  matched  exactly.  These  fans 
were  smaller  than  the  other  kind,  and  at  one  time  they  were  so  small 
that  they  could  be  carried  easily  in  an  ordinary  pocket.  And  now  for 
my  story  about  the  fan  counterfeiter  : 

"An  American  lady  who  wanted  an  antique  fan  and  was  willing  to 
pay  a  high  price  for  it  found  what  she  thought  she  wanted  in  a  shop  on 
the  Rue  de  la  Paix.  The  dealer  asked  5000  francs  ($1000)  for  it,  and 
declared  by  all  the  great  words  he  knew  that  it  was  as  genuine  as  genu- 
ine could  be.  But  she  had  the  good  sense  to  know  there  was  a  possibility 
of  her  being  cheated,  and  so  she  called  in  a  friend  who  had  made  a  study 
of  the  fan  and  all  its  peculiarities. 

"  The  friend  examined  the  fan  very  carefully,  and  then  the  two  ladies 
left  the  shop.  The  dealer  wished  to  close  the  transaction  at  once,  and 
offered  to  reduce  the  price  provided  the  money  were  paid  on  the  spot,  as 
he  'had  a  note  to  meet  at  the  bank.'  But  the  friend  shook  her  head, 
and  the  purchase  was  not  made. 

" '  That  is  an  outrageous  deception,'  said  the  expert,  as  they  walked 


AN    AUTOGRAPH    FAN. 


away  from  the  shop  in  the  direction  of  the  Place  Vendome ;  '  and  one  of 
the  mean  features  about  it  is  its  boldness  in  defying  all  the  facts  of  his- 
tory.    The  stick,  the  mount,  and  the  painting  belong  to  three  different 


23ti 


THE   BOY  TRAVELLERS   IN   CENTRAL   EUROPE. 


epochs,  and  together  they  cover  a  period  of  more  than  a  hundred  years. 
The  real  fact  is  that  the  fan  is  of  modern  make.  It  is  worth,  perhaps, 
$10,  or,  at  furthest,  §20.  You  will  probably  get  it  by  offering  sin,  and 
slowly  rising  to  $20,  but  refusing  to  give  more.' 

"  The  lady  did  not  again  visit  the  shop,  but  as  a  matter  of  curiosity 
she  sent  an  American  gentleman  there,  describing  the  fan  to  him,  so  that 
he  could  make  no  mistake.  He  looked  at  the  fan,  and  without  asking 
the  price  offered  50  francs  ($10)  for  it.  The  dealer  manifested  no  sur- 
prise, but  said  he  could  not  think  of  selling  the  fan  for  less  than  100 
francs.  It  was  bought  at  that  price,  and  seems  to  me  to  be  well  worth 
it,  as  it  is  certainly  hand-painted,  and  by  an  artist  of  no  mean  ability." 

Mary  discoursed  quite  learnedly  on  the  subject  of  fans,  but  we  have 
not  sufficient  space  to  repeat  all  that  she  said.  Among  other  things,  she 
noted  that  the  recently-invented  fashion  of  autograph  fans  is  really  an 
old  one  brought  from  China.  AVhen  Pekin  was  captured  by  the  English 
and  French  more  than  thirty  years  ago,  and  the  summer  palace  was 
looted  and  burned,  a  great  many  fans  were  secured  by  the  plunderers  of 
the  imperial  abode.  A  large  proportion  of  them  were  of  ivory  or  paper, 
made  to  fold  just  like  the  French  fan  that  has  been  described.  Gentle- 
men carry  fans  in  China,  and  it  was  the  custom  for  one  gentleman  to 
open  his  fan  and  beg  his  friend  to  write  his  autograph  or  indite  a  sen- 
tence that  should  form  a  souvenir.  The  fans  secured  at  the  summer 
palace  of  Pekin,  and  afterwards  sold  in  London  and  Paris,  were  of  this 

sort,  and  were  said  to  have  belonged  to  the 
emperors  and  empresses  of  that  distant  part 
of  the  world. 

From  fans  to  bonnets  was  an  easy  step, 
and  Mary  showed  her  ability  to  talk  as  in- 
telligently about  the  latter  subject  as  the 
former  and  with  no  more  hesitation. 

"  Of  course  we  have  bought  new  bon- 
nets since  we  came  to  Paris,  and  our  old 
ones  are  laid  aside  to  be  resumed  when  we 
feel  like  putting  them  on.  They  are  not 
exactly  out  of  fashion,  but  somehow  they 
are  not  what  one  wants  when  in  Paris. 
You  know  that  this  city  leads  the  fash- 
ions, and  it  generally  keeps  them  a  little 
while  before  the  rest  of  the  world  gets 
1^8^  them.     I've  been  told   that  when   a  new 


BONNETS  OP  DIFFERENT   PERIODS. 


237 


1795. 


style  comes  out  all  the  old  stocks  on  hand  are  sent  to  the  provinces, 
where  they  find  a  ready  market.  The  provincial  dealers  work  them  off 
on  their  non-travelling  customers,  and  they  can  declare  truthfully  that 
the  styles  they  have  are  the  latest  from  Paris — certainly  the  latest  they 
have  received. 

"  The  milliners  in  New  York  follow  Paris  very 
closely — much  more  so  than  do  the  provincial  deal- 
ers throughout  France.  The  reason  is  plain :  there 
are  many  women  coming  here  from  New  York 
every  season  and  going  home  with  the  latest  styles. 
Consequently,  the  milliners  in  America  couldn't  im- 
pose on  their  customers  if  they  wanted  to,  and  I 
don't  suppose  they  desire  to  do  anything  of  the 
kind.  Suppose  Mrs.  A.,  who  hasn't  been  abroad 
this  year,  should  buy  a  new  bonnet  of  Madame  X., 
on  the  assurance  that  it  is  the  latest  style  from 
Paris.  Next  day  Mrs.  A.  calls  on  Mrs.  B.,  who  has 
just  returned  from  abroad,  and  you  may  be  sure 
they  have  something  to  discuss  in  the  way  of  fash- 
ions. If  Mrs.  A.'s  bonnet  should  be  behind  the 
times  Mrs.  B.  will  surely  let  her  know  it ;  Mrs.  A. 
feels  that  she  has  been  the  victim  of  a  fraud,  and  never  again  will  she 
patronize  Madame  X.  or  allow  any  friend  of  hers  to  do  so.  Thus  it  is 
that  the  milliners  of  New  York  are  compelled  to  keep  the  latest  fashions 
and  get  rid  of  their  old  stock  by  sending  it  to  the  backwoods  for  a 
market,  or  giving  it  away  to  the  poor. 

"  I'm  not  going  to  take  up  your  time  with  a  description  of  the  new 
styles  of  bonnets  for  this  year,  as  you  can  get  it  all  in  a  fashion  paper, 
and  much  better  than  I  can  tell  it.     What  I  am  going  to  do  is  to  say 
something  about  a  collection  of  bonnets  that  we 
saw  yesterday  showing  the  fashions  for  a  whole  cen- 
tury, and  what  changes  have  come  over  them  from 
time  to  time.    Just  look  at  them  and  see  how  funny 
they  are. 

"  Here's  a  bonnet  of  1787.  "Would  you  be  will- 
ing to  put  it  on  and  walk  on  a  pleasant  afternoon 
along  Fifth  Avenue,  from  Madison  Square  to  Cen- 
tral Park*  What  an  excitement  there  would  be, 
and  how  the  small  boys  would  run  after  you !  But 
I've  no  doubt  the  women  of  that  year  were  quite  1803. 


1 


23S 


THE   BOY   TRAVELLERS   IN   CENTRAL   EUROPE. 


1820. 


the  bonnet  of  1820. 


vain  of  their  head-coverings,  and  some  of  them 
looked  very  pretty  under  all  that  mass  that  ap- 
pears as  though  it  were  depressingly  heavy. 

"In  1795  they  wore  a  bonnet  that  suggests 
the  'coal-scuttle'  of  more  recent  times;  in  fact, 
the  bonnets  seem  to  have  been  revived  on  several 
occasions  after  sufficient  time  had  passed  to  al- 
low them  to  be  forgotten.  The  bonnet  of  1803 
is  quite  suggestive  of  that  of  1881,  while  that 
of  1864  could  easily  have  been  made  over  from 
Those  of  1S56  and  1877,  twenty-one  years  apart, 

are  suggestive  of  one  another,  though  the  later  bonnet  is  much  higher 

on  the  top  than  its  predecessor.     Then,  too,  the 

bonnet  of  1813  was  suggestive  of  the  one  I  have 

already  mentioned  as  worn    in  1787 ;    both  of 

them    wTere    very   large    and    ornamented   with 

plumes,  which  must  have  been  very  expensive  in 

those  times  when  feathers  were  high  priced. 

"  Plumes  have  been  in  fashion   at   different 

times,  disappearing  altogether  for  a  while,  only 

to   come   into  vogue  again.     Stuffed  birds  were 

not  worn  until  comparatively  recent  times ;  and 

it  is  to  be  hoped  that  they  will  never  be  worn 

again.     If  every  woman  would  stop  and  think,  before  she  buys  a  bon- 
net with  a  bird  upon  it,  that  an  innocent  creature  has  been  killed  for 

the  gratification  of  her  vanity,  I'm  sure  she  would  choose  something  else 
that  would  look  just  as  well.  Plumes  are  all  well 
enough,  as  the  ostrich  is  not  harmed  or  made  to 
suffer  any  pain  when  they  are  taken  from  him. 

"  And  speaking  of  birds,"  continued  Mary. 
"  reminds  me  that  we  have  had  a  great  deal  of 
sport  with  the  birds  of  Paris.  It  isn't  what  some 
people  call  '  sport,'  going  with  a  gun  to  shoot  the 
innocent  and  harmless  creatures,  but  taking  food 
to  them  and  watching  them  while  they  eat.  Quite 
often  we  have  gone  into  the  garden  of  the  Tui- 
leries,  or  whatever  park  or  garden  was  nearest 
to  where  we  took  our  breakfast,  and  carried  some 
bread  along  to  give  to  the  birds.  They  very 
soon   came  to  know  us,  and  as  we  entered  the 


TV.--.  l.Vv. 

1S56. 


1S64. 


IN   THE   GARDEN  OF   THE   TLTLERIES. 


239 


for  other  nations. 


gate  they  would  come  fluttering  around  us,  and  almost  lighting  on 
our  heads  and  shoulders.  We  crumbled  the  bread  up  into  very  small 
pieces  ;  then  when  we  tossed  a  handful  of  the  crumbs  into  the  air  it  was 
fun  to  see  them  jump  for  it.  Some  of  the  sparrows  were  so  tame  that 
they  would  snatch  a  crumb  from  my  fingers  or  off  the  palm  of  my 
hand,  but  most  of  them  were  a  little  too  shy  for 
so  much  familiarity. 

"  Do  you  know  the  reason  why  the  birds  are 
so  tame  ?  Well,  it  is  because  nobody  harms  them, 
or  threatens  to  do  so.  A  French  boy  never  seems 
to  think  that  ^Nature  intended  birds  as  targets  for 
him  to  throw  stones  at,  as  the  English  or  Ameri- 
can boy  usually  does.  Frank  and  Fred  say  the  im- 
pulse of  the  American  or  English  boy  when  he  sees 
a  bird  is  to  look  around  for  a  stone  to  throw  at  it, 
just  as  the  average  Englishman's  idea  of  sport  is 
to  kill  something.  The  French  are  sanguinary 
enough  when  they  go  to  war  or  indulge  in  revolu- 
tions, but  in  the  works  of  peace  they  are  models 
There  are  Frenchmen  who  go  on  shooting  excur- 
sions, it  is  true,  but  their  number  is  very  small  in  comparison  with  the 
same  class  of  men  in  England.  Game  is  carefully  preserved  in  France, 
and  when  the  hunting  season  begins  the  hares 
and  pheasants  are  so  tame  that  they  can  almost 
be  knocked  down  with  sticks. 

•'  One  day,  while  we  were  feeding  the  birds  in 
the  Garden  of  the  Tuileries,  they  suddenly  flew 
away  from  us  in  the  direction  of  a  man  who  was 
coming  through  the  gate  near  by.     There  was  a 
cloud  of  birds  all  about  him ;   his  head  was  sur- 
rounded by  birds  just  as  close  to  him  as  flies  and 
mosquitoes  will  get  close  to  us  in  their  season,  and 
they  twittered  with  delight  as  they  welcomed  him 
into  the  garden.     Frank  says  the  man  has  been 
famous  for  years  as  '  the  bird  charmer.'     Why  the 
birds  are  so  fond  of  him  no  one  can  exactly  tell ; 
but  of  one  thing  you  may  be  sure,  he  treats  them  kindly.     He  always 
brings  food  for  them,  has  never  harmed  them  in  any  way,  and  they 
show  their  confidence  by  lighting  upon  him  and  crowding  upon  the 
bench  where  he  sits.     Perhaps  they  would  be  just  as  fond  of  us   in 


1881. 


240 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


time,  but  we  can  never  determine  this  question,  as  we  are  going  away 
from  Paris  before  noon  to-morrow. 

"  ]STone  of  us  like  the  idea  of  leaving  this  great  city,  and  we  would 
gladly  stay  longer  if  we  could  frame  a  reasonable  excuse  for  doing  so. 
The  memory  of  Paris  will  always  be  a  pleasant  one ;  the  city  is  so  bright, 
so  clean,  so  well  built,  and  so  attractive  in  every  way,  I  don't  wonder  a 
bit  that  Parisians  are  so  fond  of  it  and  rarely  want  to  go  anywhere  else. 
Neither  do  I  wonder  that  so  many  foreigners  are  fascinated  Ijy  it,  and 
I  can  readily  understand,  what  Frank  tells  me  about,  the  case  of  an 
American  who  came  to  Europe  to  spend  a  year  and  remained  in  Paris 
for  eleven  months  of  the  time.  Mamma  says  she  wouldn't  have  blamed 
him  if  he  had  completed  his  year  here  and  left  the  rest  of  the  Continent 
for  another  journey.'' 


A    PAIR    OF    FRENCH    SPARROWS. 


GOOD-BYE  TO   PARIS. 


241 


CHAPTEE   XIY. 

FROM  PARIS  TO  DIJON— A  MISUNDERSTANDING.— RAILWAY  TRAVEL  IX  FRANCE.— 
ARRANGEMENTS  FOR  DINING. —DINNER  ON  THE  TRAIN.— DIJON;  ITS  INTER- 
ESTING FEATURES.  —  THE  BURGUNDY  DISTRICT.  —  ROMAN  ANTIQUITIES.  — A 
KITCHEN  OF  THE  MIDDLE  AGES.— LYONS.— THE  SILK-WEAYING  INDUSTRY— 
JACQUARD  AND  HIS  INVENTION. —  HEIGHTS  OF  FOURVIERES.— VIEW  OF  THE 
RHONE  AND  SAONE.— CHILDREN'S  SAVINGS-BANKS.— SIGHTS  OF  LYONS.— VISIT 
TO  A  SILK  ESTABLISHMENT.— CASTLES  OF  THE  RHONE.— STEAMER  VERSUS 
RAILWAY.— AIX-LES-BAINS ;  WHAT  OUR  FRIENDS  SAW  THERE.— GORGE  OF 
THE  RHONE,  AND  MARYS  THOUGHTS  THEREON.— ARRIVAL  AT  GENEVA. 


IN  leaving  Paris  our  friends  had  a  narrow  escape  from  missi 
train.  Frank  had  told  the  driver  to  take  them  to  the  Ly 
way  station  {Gave  de  Lyon),  but  the  driver 
understood  him  to  say  "  Gare  (V Orleans"  or 
the  station  for  Orleans.  In  French  the  two 
phrases  sound  very  nearly  alike,  and  the  mis- 
take is  not  at  all  infrequent.  Frank  perceived 
the  driver's  error  early  enough  to  correct  it 
and  reach  the  station  of  the  Lyons  line  in 
good  season.  Mrs.  Bassett  remarked  that  it 
was  another  instance  of  the  advantages  of  the 
promptness  which  they  practised  in  all  their 
travels  since  leaving  home. 

Exactly  to  the  second  of  the  advertised 
time  the  train  rolled  out  of  the  station,  and, 
after  passing  the  fortifications  of  the  city, 
took  a  general  direction  to  the  south.  The 
Paris,  Lyons,  and  Mediterranean  Eailway 
(Chemin  de  Fer  de  Paris  a  Lyon  et  a  la  Medi- 
ter ranee)  is  the  largest  railway  corporation  in 
France,  and  its  range  includes  the  greater  part 
of  the  region  south  of  Paris.  The  company 
also  manages  the  railways  of  Algeria,  and  in 
the  territories  that  it  serves  it  exercises  a  vast 

16 


ng  their 
ons  rail- 


STATUE    OF    MOSES,    DIJON. 


242        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

influence  upon  commerce.     Men  skilled  in  railway  management  have 
unhesitatingly  pronounced  this  line  one  of  the  best  in  the  world,  and 

certainly  it  is,  by  all  odds,  the  best  in  France. 
-  I  do  not  know  a  railway  line  anywhere," 
wrote  Fred  in  his  journal.  "  where  there  is 
more  attention  to  details  than  here.  You 
cannot  go  astray,  no  matter  how  careless  you 
may  be,  and  if  there  is  any  point  on  which 
you  desire  information  it  is  always  at  hand. 
Eules  to  cover  every  question  that  may  arise 
are  carefully  laid  down.  As  long  as  you  keep 
within  the  rules  your  path  will  be  as  smooth 
as  you  could  possibly  wish ;  and  if  you  try  to 
go  "outside  of  them  you  will  have  to  climb  a 
very  high  fence  before  getting  there. 

"  As  an  instance  of  their  attention  to  de- 
tail, let  me  tell  you  about  the  dinner  we  took 
at  one  of  the  stations  to-day. 

«  An  hour  before  we  arrived  at  the  dining 
point  one  of  the  guards  asked  us  how  many 
there  would  be  of  our  party  for  dinner.  We 
told  him  we  were  four,  and  he  then  touched 
his  cap  and  departed.  There  were  several 
parties  of  four,  five,  six,  or  more,  and  when 
they  reached  the  dining  station  the  tables 
were  all  ready  for  them,  the  order  having  been  sent  by  telegraph.  We 
were  shown  to  a  table  for  four ;  the  soup  was  steaming  in  the  plates 
before  us,  having  been  placed  on  the  table  just  as  the  train  came  to  a 
halt.     All  the  other  tables  were  equally  ready. 

"  The  meal  consisted  of  five  courses,  and  each  course  was  brought 
before  we  had  finished  with  the  one  that  preceded  it.  By  the  side  of 
each  plate  there  were  four  half-bottles  of  wine,  two  white  wines  and 
two  red  ones,  and  the  name  and  price  of  each  wine  was  distinctly 
marked  on  its  bottle  in  very  large  figures. 

"  There  were  forty  or  fifty  travellers  in  parties  like  our  own.  and 
not  fewer  than  a  hundred  and  fifty  who  took  seats  at  long  tables  not 
unlike  the  eating-counters  on  American  railways.  At  the  side  of  each 
plate  were  the  wines  as  at  our  own  plates.  On  the  wall  at  the  end  of 
the  room,  high  up  in  the  air  and  in  letters  so  large  that  Mary  said  a 
blind  man  might  almost  read  them,  was  indicated  the  price  of  the  meal. 


STATUE    OF    JEREMIAH. 


FRENCH  RAILWAYS.  243 

"  As  soon  as  the  meal  was  fairly  begun,  attendants  proceeded  along 
the  tables  to  collect  from  each  one  the  price  of  his  refreshment.  Old 
travellers  provided  for  this  by  placing  their  money  on  the  table  as  soon 
as  they  sat  down.  The  price  of  the  meal  was  four  francs  (eighty  cents), 
and  if  a  man  helped  himself  to  any  one  of  the  wines  on  which  the  price 
Avas  marked  the  collector  could  discover  that  fact  at  a  glance.  He  had 
no  occasion  to  ask  a  question,  nor  did  the  patron  have  occasion  to  ex- 
plain anything  or  seek  any  explanation. 

"You  may  think  it  possible  for  a  dishonest  man  to  help  himself  to 
some  of  the  wines  after  the  collector  has  passed  along,  and  thereby 
cheat  the  establishment.  This  contingency  is  met  by  the  collector,  who 
moved  the  untouched  bottles  to  the  centre  of  the  table ;  he  thus  indi- 
cated that  settlement  had  been  made,  and  the  wines  were  no  longer  at 
the  option  of  the  customer.  He  must  needs  be  a  brave  man  as  well  as 
dishonest  who  would  help  himself  to  the  wines  after  that. 

"  For  those  who  cannot  afford  the  meal  at  the  price  charged  in  the 
room  where  we  dined  there  is  what  an  American  would  call  a  '  sand- 
wich counter.'  Here  the  traveller  of  shallow  purse  may  satisfy  his 
hunger,  and  he  can  get  a  great  deal  for  a  very  little  money.  The  com- 
pany exercises  a  careful  supervision  over  the  feeding  department  of  the 
line;  the  quality  of  the  food  served  is  good  and  the  quantity  liberal, 
and  the  time  allowed  for  meals  is  sufficient  for  any  ordinary  appetite." 

On  another  occasion  our  friends  ordered  their  dinner  to  be  served  in 
the  train.     Train  service  of  meals  is  performed  in  this  wise : 

An  hour  or  two  before  reaching  what  we  may  call  the  supply  sta- 
tion a  telegram  is  sent  ahead,  saying  for  how  many  and  in  what  car- 
riage of  the  train,  every  carriage  being  conspicuously  numbered  on  the 
side.  When  the  train  stops  at  that  station  a  servant  brings  a  basket  to 
the  place  indicated,  collects  the  money  required  for  it,  and  departs. 
The  travellers  proceed  to  open  the  basket,  and  find  within  it  a  complete 
service  for  their  party  and  everything  that  has  been  ordered.  Plates, 
knives,  forks,  spoons,  cups,  glasses,  napkins,  all  are  there,  and  with  them 
all  the  edible  and  drinkable  things  comprised  in  the  order.  As  the 
train  moves  on  the  meal  may  be  eaten  at  leisure ;  when  it  is  ended  the 
basket  and  its  contents  may  be  handed  to  the  conductor  or  one  of  the 
guards  as  the  train  stops  at  a  station.  This  mode  of  dining  is  satis- 
factory in  many  ways,  far  more  so  than  eating  hurriedly  at  the  station, 
while  the  disadvantages  are  those  which  pertain  to  the  picnic  or  the 
out-door  meal  in  general  all  over  the  world. 

The  first  stop  of  our  friends  was  at  Dijon,  the  ancient  capital  of 


244 


TIIK   BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN   CENTRAL   EUROPE. 


Burgundy,  and  now  the  chief  town  of  the  Department  of  the  Cote-d'Or. 
It  is  in  the  famous  Burgundy  wine  district  of  France,  and  its  trade  in 
that  famous  beverage  is  one  of  great  importance. 

"  We  are  more  interested  in  the  antiquities  of  the  city  and  its  gen- 
eral features  than  in  its  wine  trade,"  said  Frank  to  the  manager  of  the 
hotel,  who  wished  to  introduce  the  strangers  to  a  wine-merchant.  The 
manager  bowed  and  retired,  after  giving  the  brief  explanation  that 
"  most  people  who  come  to  Dijon  wish  to  purchase  wines,  and  we  want 
to  make  sure  that  our  customers  fall  into  good  hands."  Exactly  what 
he  meant  by  "good  hands"  he  did  not  say,  but  he  probably  regarded 
most  favorably  the  wine-merchant  who  allowed  the  largest  commission 
upon  the  purchases  that  the  manager  turned  in  his  direction. 


OUR   MOTIVE    POWER. 


"  Dijon  is  not  a  large  city,"  said  Frank,  in  reply  to  a  question  by 
Mrs.  Bassett,  "  as  it  has  only  about  fifty  thousand  inhabitants  ;  but  it  is 
an  old  and  interesting  one,  as  history  will  tell  you." 

"  How  old  is  it  ?" 

""Well,  it  dates  from  the  time  of  the  Romans,  and  its  ancient  name 
was  Dihio.  It  came  into  possession  of  the  Burgundians  in  the  fifth 
century,  and  in  the  eleventh  it  was  united  with  the  Duchy  of  Bur- 
gundy, of  which  it  became  the  capital." 

"  Then  it  ought  to  have  a  palace  of  the  dukes,  and  of  course  it  has 
a  cathedral,  and  probably  an  old  one." 

"Yes,  it  has  them  both,  and  they  are  well  preserved.    The  ducal  pal- 


DIJON  AND  ITS  ANTIQUITIES. 


245 


ace  is  now  the  City  Hall,  and  it  contains  a  fine  museum  filled  with  mon- 
uments of  the  Middle  Ages,  and  a  library  of  old  books  and  manuscripts 
that  would  make  the  lips  of  an  antiquarian  quiver  with  delight.     As 
soon   as  you   are   ready  we  will  start  on  a 
round  of  sight-seeing." 

Mrs.  Bassett  and  Mary  were  ready  on  the 
instant,  and  Fred  stood  with  hat  in  hand. 
Needless  to  say  that  the  promised  sights 
were  seen  very  speedily,  and  then  a  drive  was 
taken  through  the  city  and  around  its  imme- 
diate suburbs.  Fred  noted  the  circumstance 
that  Dijon  is  a  strongly  fortified  place,  the 
old  fortifications  having  been  supplemented 
by  some  of  recent  construction ;  the  city  was 
captured  by  the  Germans  in  IS 70  after  some 
hard  fighting,  and  a  monument  to  the  de- 
fenders has  been  erected  near  one  of  the  prin- 
cipal gates  in  the  old  walls. 

We  have  not  space  to  enumerate  all  the 
statues,  paintings,  and  monuments  which  our 
friends  saw  in  the  museum  and  in  the  cathe- 
dral, and  other  ancient  buildings.  <  >ne  thing 
that  greatly  interested  Mrs.  Bassett  was  the 
kitchen  of  the  dukes  of  Burgundy,  which  was 
cleared  out  and  repaired   a  few  years  ago. 

She  thought  that  the  dukes  must  have  had  large  households,  if  one 
could  judge  by  the  size  of  their  kitchen,  which  is  about  fifty  feet 
square  and  contains  six  large  chimneys.  The  sides  converge  into  a 
tall  shaft,  which  is  intended  to  carry  off  the  fumes  of  the  cooking  along 
with  the  smoke  and  keep  the  air  of  the  place  pure. 

"Evidently  they  didn't  have  cooking  ranges  in  the  days  of  the 
dukes,''  she  remarked,  while  standing  before  the  great  chimneys  with 
their  broad  fireplaces  and  heavy  brickwork. 

"Evidently  not,"  replied  Frank.  "Their  meats  were  roasted  in  front 
of  the  fires,  and  their  stews  were  made  in  great  pots,  so  that  their  cook- 
ing was  done  on  the  wholesale  plan.  The  bill  of  fare  must  have  been 
simpler  than  the  French  menu  of  to-day,  for  the  reason  that  there  were 
no  facilities  for  preparing  the  numerous  small  dishes  for  which  the  mod- 
ern French  cook  is  famous  all  over  the  world." 

From  Dijon  the  train  was  taken  for  Lyons,  Mrs.  Bassett  and  Mary 


PHILIP    THK    GOOD,    DUKE    OF 
BURGUNDY. 


216 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IX  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


being  specially  desirous  of  seeing  the  place  which  has  long  been  famous 
for  its  manufacture  of  silks  for  dresses  and  other  uses.  They  wanted  to 
see  some  of  the  large  manufactories,  and  were  considerably  disappointed, 
on  their  arrival  at  Lyons,  when  told  that  there  were  none  in  existence. 

"  How  is  that  ?"  queried  Mrs.  Eassett.  "  Lyons  is  famous  for  its 
manufacture  of  silk,  and  yet  you  say  there  are  no  silk  factories  here." 

"  Xo  ;  the  silks  are  woven  in  the  houses  of  the  workmen  and  not  in 
factories.  Some  workmen  have  only  single  looms,  while  others  have 
several  looms,  which  are  run  by  members  of  the  family  or  by  men  hired 
for  the  work.  They  obtain  the  materials  for  weaving  from  the  estab- 
lishments where  the  finished  silk  is  carried  for  inspection.  AVe  can  find 
houses  occupied  by  twenty  or  thirty  families,  or  even  a  greater  number; 
each  family  will  have  its  looms  for  weaving,  and  this  is  the  nearest  ap- 
proach we  can  find  to  a  great  factory." 

"  Well,  then,"  said  Mrs.  Eassett,  "  we  will  try  to  see  a  loom  or  two. 
and  then  go  to  one  of  the  places  where  the  finished  silk  is  sold.  I  want 
to  buy  enough  for  two  or  three  dresses,  perhaps  half  a  dozen.  It  will 
not  be  better  than  what  I  could  buy  in  Paris  or  New  York,  but  those 
to  whom  I  give  it  will  prize  it  more  when  they  know  it  was  bought  in 

Lyons,  where  it 
was  made." 

We  will  ar- 


e 
ev- 

does, 
as 
has 
arrived  here." 

■•  What  is 
that  r 

••  Ascend  the 
heights  of  Four- 
vieres,  and  look 
at   Lyons  from 


ANCIENT    LACE    IN    THE    MUSEUM. 


the  dome  of  the 
church  of  Notre  Dame  de  Fourvieres.  which  is  elevated  360  feet  above 
the  rivers  Saone  and  Rhone,  on  whose  banks  the  city  stands." 

A  carriage  was  engaged  to  take  the  party  to  the  Palace  of  Justice, 


HEIGHTS   OF   FOURVIERES. 


247 


whence  there  is  an  inclined  railway  to  the  top  of  the  heights.     Frank 

accompanied  his  mother  in  the  train  which  carried  them  up  the  incline, 

but  Mary  and  Fred  thought  it  would  be  fun  to  ascend  on  foot  by  one 

of  the  paths  which  a  policeman 

pointed  out.     They  reached  the 

top    of    the    hill    with    flushed 

cheeks.   Mary  admitted  that  once 

or  twice   during  the  ascent  she 

wished  she  had  gone  by  the  train, 

but   now  that   the    fatigue   was 

gone  she  was  glad  she  had  made 

the  trip  in  the  way  she  did. 

"  The  view  is  well  worth  the 
trouble  of  ascending,''  said  Fred, 
"  and  no  one  who  makes  it  will 
forget  it  in  a  hurry.  The  city  of 
nearly  four  hundred  thousand  in- 
habitants is  spread  out  like  a  map 
beneath  us,  and  we  can  trace  its 
streets  and  avenues  just  as  we 
traced  those  of  Paris  from  the 
summit  of  the  Eiffel  Tower.  The 
Ehone  and  the  Saone  unite  here, 
and  the  principal  part  of  Lyons 
lies  between  the  two  rivers.  As 
we  stand  on  Fourvieres  we  have 
the  city  and  both  the  rivers  in 
front  of  us.  "We  counted  thirteen 
bridges  across  the  Saone  and  nine 
over  the  Ehone,  and  we  could 
look  down  on  the  decks  of  the 
steamboats  that  navigate  the 
Ehone  and  almost  gaze  into  their 
funnels.    Beyond  the  city  we  had 

a  wide  vista  of  fields,  some  of  them  level  and  others  undulating ;  then 
Ave  saw  a  great  many  villages  and  hills,  and  here  and  there  were  patches 
or  wide  stretches  of  forest  very  irregular  in  shape. 

"  The  day  was  clear,  and  we  were  told  that  we  might  possibly  see 
Mont  Blanc,  a  hundred  miles  away.  ^\Te  could  see  the  snowy  range  of 
the  Alps,  but  I'm  not  sure  whether  we  really  made  out  the  monarch  of 


a  narrow  street. 


248 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


i8ji§ip 


them  or  not.  Nearer  to  us  were  the  mountains  of  La  Grande-Char- 
treuse and  Mont  Pilat,  and  the  custodian  of  the  dome  who  acted  as 
guide  called  our  attention  to  the  Alps  of  the  Dauphine.  If  any  reader 
of  this  narrative  ever  goes  to  Lyons,  I  earnestly  advise  him  to  ascend  to 
the  top  of  Fourvieres  before  he  undertakes  to  see  anything  else. 

"  I  could  have  stayed  there  for  hours ;  but  silks  were  the  attraction 
of  Lyons,  and  we  went  in  pursuit  of  them.  And  what  do  you  suppose 
was  the  first  thing  we  saw  in  connection  with  the  silk  industry  of  this 
thriving  city,  whose  fortune  has  come  from  weaving  \ 

"It  wasn't  a  loom,  or  a  silk  shop,  or  anything  of  the  kind;  but  a 
statue  that  stands  in  one  of  the  squares  of  the  city — a  statue  repre- 
senting Jacquard,  the  inventor  of  the  loom  that  bears  his  name.  It 
stands  on  the  spot  where  his  first  loom  was  destroyed  by  order  of  the 
leaders  of  the  weaving  industry  of  Lyons,  who  feared  that  the  machine 
would  woi'k  a  great  injury  to  their  business." 

"  I  have  been  reading  about  Jacquard,"  said  Mary,  as  the  party  stood 
in  front  of  the  statue,  "  and  find  that  there  was  so  much  opposition  to 
his  loom  that  his  life  was  repeatedly  threatened ;  and  on  one  occasion 
he  saved  himself  by  escaping  through  a  window,  and  thus  eluded  the 
mob  that  had  broken  into  his  house." 

"  Did  he  die  in  poverty  and  obscurity,  as  has  been  the  case  with 


THE  JACQUARD  LOOM. 


249 


so  many  men  whose  inventions  and  discoveries  in  arts  and  sciences 
have  benefited  the  world?"  Mrs.  Bassett  asked. 

"  I'm  glad  to  say  he  did  not,"  answered  Fred.  "  He  was  born  in 
Lyons  in  1752,  and  his  great  invention  was  completed  and  made  public 
in  1801.  The  opposition  of  the  people  of  Lyons  drove  him  to  Paris, 
where  he  received  a  gold  medal  and  was  presented  to  Napoleon  I. 
Napoleon  appreciated  the  value  of  the  invention  sufficiently  to  grant  a 
pension  to  Jacquard.  Long  before  his  death,  in  1834,  he  was  honored 
by  his  native  city,  and  this  statue  which  commemorates  him  was  erected 
by  the  city  authorities  six  years  after  his  death." 

"  I'm  glad  to  hear  that,"  said  Mrs.  Bassett.  "  As  I  understand  it,  the 
Jacquard  loom  enables  an  ordinary  workman  to  produce  the  most  beau- 
tiful patterns  with  very  little  trouble." 

"  Yes,"  replied  Frank  ;  "  a  machine  under  the  guidance  of  an  ordinary 
intellect  does  what  was  formerly  accomplished  only  with  a  vast  amount 
of  patience  and  labor  combined  with  great  .skill." 

Our  friends  then  proceeded  to  one  of  the  silk -houses,  whose  address 
they  had  obtained  at  the  hotel.  They  made  their  purchases,  and  then, 
under  the  guidance  of  an  employe  of  the  house,  they  went  to  the  home 
of  one  of  the  workmen  where  several  looms  were  in  operation. 


MOONLIGHT    SCENE    NEAR    LYONS. 


250  THE    BOY    TRAVELLERS   IN"    CENTRAL   EUROPE. 

A  description  of  the  loom  and  its  mode  of  operation  would  be  too 
technical  for  the  general  reader,  and  we  therefore  forbear.  Briefly,  it 
may  be  said  that  Jacquard's  invention  consists  in  so  guiding  the  action 
of  the  loom  that  it  will  produce  figures  or  designs  of  any  kind  with  no 
further  effort  on  the  part  of  the  weaver  than  for  the  production  of  plain 
cloth.  The  threads  of  the  warp  are  controlled  by  little  hooks  acting 
through  perforations  in  cards.  The  same  patterns  may  be  produced 
over  and  over  again  by  the  cards,  and  a  dozen  sets  of  cards  may  be 
perforated  at  once,  so  that  many  looms  producing  identical  patterns 
may  be  set  in  operation  simultaneously. 

The  reader  who  desires  a  fuller  description  than  we  are  able  to  give 
in  our  limited  space  will  find  what  he  desires  in  any  good  encyclopaedia. 

Before  our  friends  left  the  house  where  they  saw  the  loom  they  were 
surrounded  by  several  children,  who  held  out  their  hands  for  gifts  of 
money.  Frank  and  Fred  gave  a  few  copper  coins  to  each  of  the  urchins, 
and  the  money  was  promptly  deposited  in  the  little  "banks"  which 
stood  in  a  row  on  a  shelf  within  easy  reach.  There  was  a  "bank"  for 
each  of  the  juvenile  members  of  the  family,  and  doubtless  the  adult  mem- 
bers of  the  household  had  similar  places  for  storing  their  reserve  cash. 

'•  1  could  deliver  a  long  essay  on  the  prosperity  of  France,"  said 
Fred,  as  they  left  the  house  and  were  once  more  in  the  open  air,  "  and 
the  basis  for  my  essay  would  be  found  in  those  little  banks  we  have 
just  seen  in  the  possession  of  the  children." 

"  Deliver  a  few  paragraphs  of  it  now,  please,"  said  Mary.  "  I  want 
to  hear  them,  and  am  sure  mamma  does,  too." 

"  "Well,  then,  here  goes,"  said  Fred.  "  The  prosperity  of  France  is 
found  in  the  economical  habits  of  the  people.  You  know  what  Scotch 
thrift  is,  as  it  is  a  by-word  wherever  the  English  language  is  spoken." 

"  Yes,  I  know  all  about  it,"  Mary  replied,  "  and  my  eyes  long  ago 
told  me  that  the  French  are  just  as  thrifty  as  the  Scotch.  They  begin 
the  habit  of  saving  when  very  young:  we  have  just  had  an  example 
of  it,  and  a  very  practical  one  it  was." 

'■  Yes,"  replied  Fred,  "  and  the  habit  once  formed  remains  through 
life.  Of  course  there  are  spendthrifts  among  them.  It  is  said  there  can 
never  be  a  rule  without  an  exception,  but  the  general  tendency  of  the 
whole  people  is  to  live  within  their  means  and  'save  something  for  a 
rainy  day.'  In  nine  cases  out  of  ten,  American  children  in  the  place  of 
those  French  ones  we  just  saw,  would  have  spent  their  money  for 
candy ;  in  nineteen  such  cases  out  of  twenty  in  France,  the  money  goes 
into  a  tiny  savings-bank,  as  ours  did.  and  is  carefully  treasured." 


FRENCH   HABITS   OP   ECONOMY. 


251 


"  The  savings  of  the  French  people  amount  to  an  enormous  sum," 
said  Frank,  as  his  cousin  paused.  "  When  the  Government  needed  a 
loan  of  five  milliard  francs  (one  thousand  million  dollars),  to  pay  the 
indemnity  to  Germany,  in  the  Avar  of  1870-71,  the  loan  was  immediately 


CASTLE    OX    THE    RHOXE    XEAR    VALENCE. 

taken  up  by  the  people,  and  by  far  the  greater  part  of  it  came  from 
the  savings  of  the  working  classes  and  people  of  moderate  means." 

"Was  that  really  the  case?"  queried  Mrs.  Bassett,  in  a  tone  of  sur- 
prise, as  she  thought  of  the  large  amount, 

"  Quite  so,"  said  Fred ;  "  and  it  was  the  same  way  when  other  loans 
were  wanted  by  the  Government,  In  1855  the  Government  wanted  a 
loan  of  §150,000,000  to  pay  the  expenses  of  the  war  with  Eussia,  gener- 
ally called  the  Crimean  War.  Nearly  five  times  the  amount  which  they 
wanted  was  subscribed ;  $50,000,000  of  the  subscriptions  were  in  sums 
of  §10  or  less,  and  some  were  for  less  than  one  dollar." 

"  Xo  wonder  that  Benjamin  Franklin  was  so  popular  when  he  came 
to  France,"  said  Mrs.  Bassett,  "  The  maxims  of  Poor  Richard's  Al- 
manac were  exactly  like  those  of  the  French  people." 


252       THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IX  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

The  advantages  to  a  nation  of  a  habit  of  thrift  among  its  people 
were  discussed  at  considerable  length,  but  unfortunately  for  us  none  of 
the  party  kept  note  of  the  remarks  that  were  made  on  the  subject,  and. 
therefore,  we  are  unable  to  repeat  them. 

In  the  course  of  their  promenade  through  Lyons  our  friends  visited 
the  cathedral  and  other  venerable  buildings,  and  also  the  place  which  is 
reputed  to  have  been  the  site  of  a  Roman  fort  in  the  ancient  days  of 
Lyons.  According  to  history,  the  G reeks  had  a  settlement  and  strong- 
hold here  in  the  sixth  century  before  the  Christian  era,  and  were  fol- 
lowed by  the  Romans,  who  founded  a  city  called  Lugdunum,  in  the  year 
40  b.c.  The  aqueduct  which  supplied  the  city  with  water  can  be  traced 
for  miles,  and  some  of  its  arches  are  still  standing. 

"  There  was  a  Roman  amphitheatre  here,"  said  Frank,  "  but  very  little 
remains  of  it.  The  most  perfect  specimen  of  a  Roman  amphitheatre  in 
the  South  of  France  is  at  Nimes,  and  it  is  in  nearly  as  good  condition  as 
the  Colosseum  at  Rome.  All  through  this  part  of  France  there  are 
abundant  evidences  of  the  Roman  occupation.  The  Romans  were  noble 
builders,  and  if  it  had  not  been  for  the  destructive  ways  of  the  people 
who  succeeded  them  we  might  see  far  more  of  their  work  in  buildings 
and  other  things  than  we  can  at  present. 

"  The  earliest  of  the  Roman  settlements  here,"  the  youth  continued. 
"  was  at  Aqua?  Sextia?,  in  the  year  123  b.c  There  is  a  city  there  yet,  and 
it  is  known  by  the  much  shorter  name  of  Aix.  It  contains  Roman  re- 
mains sufficient  to  establish  its  identity  beyond  the  possibility  of  a  doubt, 
but  not  as  many  as  the  cities  of  Ximes  and  Aries — the  ancient  Arelate." 

"  I  was  looking  this  moraine  at  an  album  of  views  alono-  the 
Rhone,"  said  Mary.  "  Do  all  the  castles  and  other  "Teat  buildino's  aloiii: 
the  river  belong  to  the  time  of  the  Romans  '." 

"Not  by  any  means,"  was  the  reply;  "  they  are  of  the  Middle  Ages 
like  the  castles  we  saw  along  the  Rhine,  and  very  much  later  than  the 
Romans.  Most  of  them  are  in  ruins,  but  here  and  there  we  find  one  in 
good  preservation,  though  it  would  not  be  able  to  offer  serious  resistance 
to  modern  artillery.  All  have  their  stories  of  sieges  and  suffering,  and 
altogether  many  volumes  might  be  filled  with  them,  just  as  in  the  case 
of  the  castles,  which  we  saw  in  Germany.  But  for  the  present  we  will 
consider  modern  things,  and  look  at  this  part  of  the  world  as  we  find  it." 

"When  our  friends  had  finished  with  the  si°hts  of  Lvons  a  conference 
was  held  on  the  all-important  subject  of  whez'e  to  go  next.  The  incli- 
nations of  all  were  in  the  direction  of  Switzerland,  and  consequently  it 
was  decided  that  they  would  go  there.     Mrs.  Bassett  suggested  that  as 


FROM  FRANCE  TO   SWITZERLAND. 


253 


the  Ehone  came  from  Switzerland,  they  might  travel  thither  by  water 
instead  of  by  railway.  Mary  thought  the  journey  by  river  would  be  too 
slow  for  them,  as  she  had  read  about  the  "  arrowy  Ehone,"  and  the 
idea  of  making  headway  against  a  stream  of  the  swiftness  of  an  arrow 
was  not  altogether  agreeable.  Fred  undertook  to  ascertain  what  were 
the  facilities  of  travel  on  the  Ehone,  but  his  report  on  the  subject  was 
not  favorable  to  Mrs.  Bassett's  proposal. 

"It  is  ninety  miles  from  here  to  Aixdes-Bains  by  the  river,"  said  he, 
"and  the  steamers  take  thirteen  hours  for  the  ascent,  though  they  come 
down  in  eight  hours.  The  difference  is  caused  by  the  arrowy  nature  of 
the  Ehune,  which  Mary  mentioned  and  had  misgivings  about. 

"  "We  might  get  along  with  the  time,"  he  continued,  "  as  the  scenery 
is  veiy  good  and  well  worth  seeing.  But  the  trouble  is  there  is  no 
steamer  advertised  for  three  days,  and  even  then  there  is  no  certaintv 


AMPHITHEATRE    AT    NIMES. 


that  she  will  leave.  The  steamboat  business  has  been  very  seriously 
damaged  by  the  building  of  the  railway,  and  the  boats  do  not  run  with 
their  former  regularitv." 


254  THE   BOY   TRAVELLERS   EST   CENTRAL   EUROPE. 

So  it  was  decided  the  party  would  go  by  railway  to  Geneva,  spend- 
ing a  day  or  two  at  Aix-les-Bains,  a  famous  bathing  resort  for  invalids 
and  others.  While  on  the  subject  of  steamboats,  Fred  called  attention 
to  the  circumstance  that  it  was  at  Lyons,  between  1TS0  and  1783,  that 
the  Marquis  de  Jouffroy  made  experiments  at  propelling  boats  by  means 
of  steam.  In  the  year  last  named  he  built  a  boat  140  feet  long,  witli 
which  he  ascended  the  Saone  for  several  miles,  He  had  no  money  with 
which  to  continue  his  experiments,  and  his  schemes  were  considered  so 
visionary  that  he  could  obtain  nothing  from  others,  and  the  Government 
refused  to  grant  a  patent  for  his  invention.  It  has  been  claimed  that 
Robert  Fulton  obtained  from  the  marquis  his  plans  for  the  steamboat ; 
whether  he  did  so  or  not  is  immaterial,  as  the  idea  of  propelling  boats 
by  means  of  a  steam-engine  had  been  put  forth  by  Hull  and  others  be- 
fore either  of  those  inventors  was  born. 

The  halt  at  Aix-les-Bains,  or  "  Aix,"  as  it  is  usually  called  by  visitors, 
was  made  according  to  the  programme,  and  our  friends  agreed  that  the 
time  was  well  employed.  The  place  was  celebrated  for  its  baths  as  far 
back  as  the  time  of  the  Romans ;  any  doubts  on  this  point  which  may 
have  existed  in  the  minds  of  Mrs.  Bassett  and  her  daughter  were  re- 
moved by  a  visit  to  the  remains  of  the  Roman  baths,  to  which  they 
were  taken  by  a  local  guide.  These  baths  are  not  as  well  preserved  as 
those  at  ISimes  and  some  other  places  farther  to  the  south,  but  they  are 
sufficient  to  indicate  their  purposes. 

"  The  waters  here  are  good  for  rheumatism  and  gout,  and  also  for 
bronchitis  and  cutaneous  diseases,  together  with  other  maladies  with 
which  humanity  is  afflicted,'1  wrote  Fred  in  his  journal.  "  As  none  of  us 
are  sufferers  we  do  not  intend  trying  the  baths,  much  to  the  disappoint- 
ment of  the  doctor  attached  to  the  hotel,  as  he  is  thus  deprived  of  fees 
he  expected  to  obtain  from  us.  The  bathing  establishment  is  one  of  the 
best  we  have  seen  anywhere,  and  must  have  cost  a  great  deal  of  money. 
There  are  two  principal  springs,  both  of  them  warm ;  one  spring  con- 
tains sulphur  in  the  water,  and  the  other  is  supposed  to  contain  alum, 
though  there  is  really  no  alum  in  it.  The  water  of  both  springs  is  used 
for  bathing,  and  that  of  the  sulphur  spring  is  prescribed  for  drinking  at 
the  source,  the  doctors  saying  that  it  must  be  taken  in  that  way  in  order 
to  be  beneficial  to  the  patient. 

"For  those  who  like  to  swim  there  are  two  swimming-baths,  and 
they  retain  their  Roman  name  of  piscines  (fish-ponds).  Mary  asked  if 
she  could  be  allowed  to  angle  in  the  fish-ponds,  and  was  politely  in- 
formed that  there  were  no  fish  there. 


AIX-LES-BAINS   TO   GENEVA. 


255 


KOMAN    BATHS    AT    N1MES. 


"  '  Then  why  do  you  call  them  fish-ponds  V 

" '  Because  they've  always  been  called  so,'  was  the  prompt  answer 
of  the  custodian.  '  And  we  also  do  so  out  of  respect  to  our  ancestors 
the  Romans,  who  first  made  the  place  popular.' 

"  Mary  declared  that  she  would  not  propound  any  more  conundrums 
to  the  natives  as  long  as  she  stayed  here.  She  concluded  from  the 
promptness  of  the  response  that  the  man  had  heard  the  question  very 
often,  and  had  his  answer  ready  for  all  querists." 

"We  had  a  delightful  ride  from  Aix-les-Bains  to  Geneva,"  said 
Mary,  "  changing  trains  at  Culoz,  where  the  line  branches  into  Switzer- 
land. Between  Culoz  and  Geneva  we  foUowed,  in  a  general  way,  the 
valley  of  the  Rhone,  and  a  very  wild  and  picturesque  valley  it  is.  In 
some  places  the  train  runs  along  the  sides  of  deep  gorges,  and  as  we 
looked  from  the  windows  of  the  railway  carriage  down,  down,  down  to 
the  rushing  water  far  below  us,  it  made  me  shudder  to  think  what 
would  happen  if  the  train  should  leave  the  track  and  leap  down  into 
that  frightful  abyss.  I  said  so  to  Fred,  just  as  we  passed  the  deepest 
place,  and  what  do  you  suppose  he  answered  ? 

"  Of  course  you  can't  guess.  He  said  he  thought  if  such  a  thing 
happened  the  whole  train  and  its  contents  might  possibly  be  worth  ten 
cents  a  bushel.     That  was  all. 


256 


THE  BUY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


"  I  was  about  to  rebuke  him  for  his  unfeeling  reply,  when  it  occurred 
to  me  that  it  was  only  another  way  of  saying  it  was  nonsense  for  me  to 
be  giving  way  to  such  thoughts.  Guess  I  won't  bother  about  the  train 
getting  off  the  track  until  it  has  done  so. 

"  The  country  is  so  rough  that  it  is  a  wonder  how  they  built  a  rail- 
way through  it  at  all.  Fred  told  me,  when  we  were  approaching 
Bellegarde  station,  that  it  was  the  place  where  the  Rhone  lost  itself.  1 
asked  what  he  meant,  and  he  said  that  formerly  the  river  flowed  for  a 
hundred  yards  or  so  underground  through  a  mass  of  fallen  rock  and 
through  caverns  in  the  limestone.  It  was  called  '  Perte  du  Rhone ' 
(Loss  of  the  Rhone),  but  of  late  years  the  'Loss'  has  been  lost  in  some 
measure.  The  river  is  partly  carried  through  a  canal  cut  in  the  side  of 
the  gorge,  and  the  rocks  have  been  blasted  away  in  the  gorge,  so  that 
timber  can  be  floated  down  the  Rhone  at  the  time  of  its  annual  flood. 
"  They  have  taken  advantage  of  the  great  amount  of  water-power 

at  Bellegarde,  and  utilized  it  so 
that  it  runs  several  mills  and  fac- 
tories. Fred  says  the}'  are  run 
on  the  same  principle  that  is 
being  applied  at  Niagara  to  util- 
ize the  power  of  the  water  there. 
Great  turbines  are  set  in  the  rock 
and  turned  by  the  water,  which 
is  brought  through  a  canal,  and 
from  the  turbines  the  power  is 
carried  to  the  mills  by  cables  that 
run  through  enormous  pulleys. 

"  I  told  Fred  I  should  under- 
stand his  description  better  if  he 
would  tell  me  what  a  turbine  is. 
He  explained  that  a  turbine  is 
a  water-wheel ;  and  then  I  won- 
dered why  he  didn't  say  water- 
wheel  instead  of  turbine  when 
talking  to  a  girl  who  doesn't 
know  much  about  machineiy. 

women  of  arles.  "  This  led  to  the  explanation 

that  while  a  turbine  may  be  a  wa- 
ter-wheel, all  water-wheels  are  not  turbines.  Then  he  made  me  under- 
stand the  peculiarity  of  a  turbine  by  saying  that  the  water  passes  through 


AN   ANCIENT   FORTRESS. 


257 


channels  cut  in  the  wheel  itself  and  in  the  casing  around  it.  It  is  per- 
pendicular, while  nearly  all  other  water-wheels  are  horizontal,  and  its 
power  increases  according  to  the  height  of  the  fall.     The  first  turbines 


COLOSSECM    AT    ARLES. 


were  used  in  France  in  the  early  part  of  this  century,  but  the  original 
ones  have  been  greatly  improved  by  English  and  American  inventors. 

"  Between  Bellegarde  and  Geneva  we  passed  in  sight  of  a  fort, 
which  is  said  to  be  a  very  strong  one.  Like  all  forts  in  this  part  of  the 
world,  it  has  been  in  various  hands,  and  is  several  hundred  jTears  old. 
The  French  have  it  now,  and  they  have  enlarged  it  very  much,  and  cut 
batteries  in  the  solid  rock,  so  that  it  could  hold  back  a  large  army  if 
one  should  be  sent  against  it.  I  told  Fred  that  if  I  were  a  great  gen- 
eral and  had  to  get  by  this  fort  I  would  march  a  long  way  around 
rather  than  run  against  it.  He  agreed  with  me  ;  and  then  we  went  to 
planning  how  we  would  make  war  if  we  were  obliged  to.  Before  we 
had  our  plans  completed  we  were  at  the  station  in  Geneva,  and  decided 
that  peace  was  much  better  than  war." 

17 


258 


THE   BOY   TRAVELLERS   IN   CENTRAL   EUROPE. 


CHAPTER    XV. 

THE  LAND  OF  WILLIAM  TELL.— IS  THE  STORY  OF  TELL  A  MYTH?— JOHN  CALVIN 
AND  HIS  WORK;  SHORT  SKETCH  OF  HIS  LIFE.— VIEW  OF  MONT  BLANC;  HEIGHT 
OF  THE  FAMOUS  MOUNTAIN.— ST.  PETER'S  CHURCH.— PULPIT  WHERE  CALVIN 
AND  KNOX  PREACHED.— CALVIN'S  CHAIR— SERVETL'S  BURNED  AT  THE  STAKE. 
—THE  EAGLES  OF  GENEVA.— THE  RHONE  LAUNDRY.— FOUNTAIN  OF  THE  ESCA- 
LADE AND  ITS  ORIGIN*.— HOW  THE  DUKE  OF  SAVOY  WAS  DEFEATED.— SWISS 
THRIFT  AND  ECONOMIES.— NEW  WAY  OF  MAKING  A  HOTEL  BILL.— ROUSSEAU'S 
ISLAND.— JEAN  JACQUES  ROUSSEAU.— FEEDING  THE  SWANS.— WATCH-MAKING 
AT  GENEVA.— MACHINE  VERSUS  HAND  LABOR. 


TTTELL,  here  we  are  in  Switzerland!"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Basset t.  as 
*  *        they    were    going    from    the    railway    station    to    the   hotel. 

"  This  is  the  land  of  William  Tell, 
and  of  the  Alps." 

"  Yes,"  replied  Frank, '"but  do 
you  know  that  some  wise  men  are 
now  attempting  to  prove  that  the 
story  of  William  Tell  and  the  apple 
is  all  a  myth  I" 

"  I  read  something  about  that. 
but  didn't  care  to  read  any  more. 
The  story  is  too  good  to  be  spoiled, 
and  I  hope  it  will  be  kept  just  as 
it  is  through  all  time." 

"  At  any  rate,  the  Swiss  are  de- 
termined to  keep  it,"  was  the  reply, 
"as  they  have  monuments  in  mem- 
ory of  the  hero,  and  every  child  in 
the  country  knows  the  account  of 
Tell's  meeting  with  the  tyrant  Gess- 
ler,  who  compelled  him  to  shoot  the 
apple  from  the  head  of  his  son." 

"Suppose  we  let  William  Tell  rest 
for  the  present,"  Fred  remarked : 


Jl'lIN    CALVIN. 


CALVIN   AND    KNOX  AT   GENEVA.  259 

"his  exploit  occurred  six  hundred  years  ago,  and  will  probably  keep 
a  while  longer.  Meantime,  let  us  see  what  Geneva  contains,  or  has  ever 
contained,  that  is  interesting." 

"  It  contains  one  interesting  thing,"  said  Mary,  "  and  that  is  a  view 
of  the  Alps,  or,  at  any  rate,  of  a  part  of  them." 

By  mutual  consent  the  exploit  of  William  Tell  with  the  apple  and 
arrow  was  allowed  to  rest,  and  our  friends  turned  their  attention  to 
the  city,  which  stands  at  the  outlet  of  Lake  Leman,  and  was  an  impor- 
tant place  in  the  time  of  the  Romans ;  in  fact,  it  was  a  city  of  conse- 
quence before  they  invaded  this  part  of  the  world.  It  has  had  many 
owners.  As  early  as  the  fifth  century  it  was  a  bishop's  seat,  and  it 
twice  belonged  to  the  ancient  kingdom  of  Burgundy. 

"  This  is  where  Calvin  and  Knox  lived  and  preached  the  doctrines  of 
the  Reformation,"  Mrs.  Bassett  remarked.  "  Calvin  died  here,  I  believe, 
and  I  want  to  see  his  grave  and  the  monument  to  his  memory." 

"  You  forget,  my  dear  mother,"  said  Frank,  respectfully,  "  that  Cal- 
vin prohibited  the  erection  of  any  monument  bearing  bis  name,  or  even 
that  the  location  of  his  grave  should  be  indicated  by  an  ordinary  stone. 
They  will  show  us  a  spot  where  he  is  alleged  to  lie,  but  there  is  no  cer- 
tainty that  it  is  where  he  was  buried.  Several  times  it  has  been  pro- 
posed to  erect  a  handsome  monument  to  him,  but  his  words  are  remem- 
bered and  the  monument  has  never  taken  shape." 

"  "Well,  we  can  see  the  pulpit  where  he  preached,  can  we  not  ?" 

"  Certainly,"  replied  Frank,  "  and  we  will  see  it  in  our  very  first  walk 
through  Geneva."  By  this  time  they  were  at  the  hotel,  where  we  will 
leave  them  till  they  start  on  their  proposed  stroll. 

But  while  they  are  selecting  their  rooms  at  the  hotel  Ave  will  take 
the  opportunity  to  say  that  Geneva  lies  on  both  sides  of  the  River 
Rhone,  at  the  point  where  it  emerges  from  the  lake,  which  boasts  of 
two  names — Geneva  and  Leman.  The  city  embraces,  also,  the  end  of 
the  lake,  where  it  narrows  towards  its  outlet,  and  has  been  enclosed 
within  jetties  so  as  to  form  a  harbor.  The  old  part  of  Geneva  is  almost 
entirely  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Rhone.  The  modern  extension  has 
been  principally  on  the  right  bank  and  along  the  shore  of  the  lake. 
The  newest  and  most  attractive  hotels  are  on  the  right  bank,  and  it 
was  one  of  these  which  received  the  patronage  of  our  friends. 

The  new  part  of  the  city  has  an  advantage  over  the  old  in  present- 
ing a  view  of  Mont  Blanc,  which  is  not  visible  from  the  ancient  Geneva 
on  account  of  an  intervening  hill.  As  the  party  came  out  of  the  hotel, 
Frank  led  the  way  to  the  Quay  de  Mont  Blanc,  which  was  close  at  hand. 


260        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

and  directed  the  attention  of  Mrs.  Bassett  and  Mary  to  the  celebrated 
monarch  of  the  Alps. 

The  air  was  clear,  and  the  sun  shone  bright  on  the  snow -covered 
mountain.  Mrs.  Bassett  said  she  was  a  little  disappointed  in  the  view, 
as  she  thought  Mont  Blanc  was  higher  than  it  appeared  to  be.  "  Put  I 
suppose  it  is  on  account  of  the  distance,"  she  added,  after  a  pause. 

"Yes,  that  is  the  reason  of  it,"  replied  Frank;  "and  the  curious  cir- 
cumstance is,  that  you  perceive  the  relative  heights  of  the  chain  of  the 
Alps  much  better  here  than  when  you  are  close  to  their  feet  at  Cha- 
mouni.  There  Mont  Blanc  appears  lower  than  its  neighbors,  that  are 
really  three  thousand  feet  less  in  height.  The  farther  you  are  from  a 
range  of  mountains,  so  long  as  }'ou  can  make  them  out  distinctly,  the 
better  comparison  can  you  make  concerning  them." 

"  What  is  the  height  of  Mont  Blanc  ?" 

"Fifteen  thousand  seven  hundred  and  eighty -one  feet,"  was  the 
reply.  "  It  is  the  highest  mountain  in  Europe  and  also  the  most  famous. 
The  next  highest  is  Monte  Bosa,  15,217  feet,  and  next  to  that  is  Finster- 
aarhorn,  14,026  feet.  Though  people  have  lived  in  its  neighborhood 
for  many  centuries,  it  was  never  ascended  until  L786,  when  an  enter- 
prising guide  named  Jacques  Balmat  reached  the  top.  Fll  tell  you 
about  him  when  we  are  at  Chamouni,  where  there  is  a  monument  to 
his  memory." 

After  a  leisurely  walk  along  the  quay,  whence  the  snowy  range  of 
the  Alps  could  be  seen,  our  friends  crossed  the  new  bridge,  the  Pont  du 
Mont  Blanc,  which  Mrs.  Bassett  remarked  was  both  a  bridge  and  a 
promenade,  and  reached  the  old  part  of  the  city.  At  the  suggestion  of 
Frank,  they  entered  the  kiosque  that  contains  the  model  in  relief  of 
Mont  Blanc  and  its  neighbors.  This  relief  is  carved  in  wood,  and  gives 
an  excellent  idea  of  the  relative  heights  and  positions  of  the  mountains, 
and  shows  the  roads,  streams,  and  glaciers  with  great  fidelity.  Then 
they  continued  their  walk  to  a  point  where  a  portion  of  the  old  ram- 
parts of  the  city  has  been  laid  out  into  a  promenade  and  gives  a  good 
view  of  the  lake.  Like  most  other  cities  of  Europe.  Geneva  was  once 
surrounded  with  walls,  which  have  been  removed  in  consequence  of  their 
having  been  rendered  useless  by  the  invention  of  modern  artillery.  Very 
wisely,  the  people  kept  just  enough  of  their  ancient  defences  to  show 
what  they  once  were,  and  have  utilized  them  for  a  public  resort. 

••  Here  we  are  at  the  cathedral  of  St.  Peter."  said  Frank,  as  they 
reached  the  door  of  that  venerable  church.  "  This  is  the  church 
where    Calvin    and    Knox   preached,"  he    continued.  "  and    the    walls 


262 


THE  B()Y  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


of  the  building  have  echoed  to  the  voices  of  other  noted  men  of  the 
Reformation." 

The  concierge  was  readily  found,  and  on  payment  of  the  customary 
fee  he  showed  the  party  through  the  edifice.  He  said  the  church  was 
completed  in  the  year  1024,  but  had  undergone  considerable  alterations 
since  that  time,  especially  in  the  twelfth  and  thirteenth  centuries.  As 
he  led  the  way  to  the  pulpit  he  said  it  was  the  very  pulpit  in  which 
Knox  and  Calvin  spoke,  and  that  the  canopy  above  it  was  the  same  as 
in  their  day.  He  showed  a  chair  which  once  belonged  to  Calvin.  Frank 
whispered  to  his  mother  that  it  was  wonderfully  well  preserved  for  a 
chair  three  centuries  old,  and  must  have  been  "restored"  a  great  many 
times. 

From  the  church  they  went  to  the  house  where  Calvin  lived  from 
1543  until  his  death,  twentv-two  years  later.     Then  thev  went  to  the 


INTERIOR    OK    ST.    TETEH  S    CATHEDRAL. 


garden  on  the  shore  of  the  lake,  and  sat  on  one  of  the  benches  beneath 
the  trees  to  study  the  panorama  that  was  before  their  eyes,  and  talk 
about  the  great  reformer. 


JOHN  CALVIN   AND   HIS   WORK.  263 

"After  Martin  Luther,"  said  Mrs.  Bassett,  "John  Calvin  was  the 
greatest  character  of  the  Eeformation.     Where  was  he  born  ?" 

"  He  was  a  native  of  Picardy,  in  France,"  said  Fred,  "  and  his  name 
in  French  was  Cauvin  or  Chauvin.  He  was  educated  for  the  Church, 
but  after  passing  his  twentieth  year  he  abandoned  theology  for  the 
law.  "While  he  was  studying  law  he  became  interested  in  the  study  of 
the  Protestant  doctrines,  which  he  afterwards  openly  announced  and 
preached.  He  wrote  a  treatise  or  commentary,  which  was  intended  to 
induce  the  King,  Francis  L,  to  show  clemency  towards  the  Protestants, 
but  it  does  not  seem  to  have  had  any  effect.  His  teachings  and  preach- 
ing resulted  in  his  expulsion  from  France,  and  that  is  what  brought  him 
to  Geneva. 

"  He  remained  here  for  a  time  and  then  went  to  Strasburg,  intend- 
ing to  continue  to  Germany,  but  he  was  persuaded  to  return  to  Geneva 
and  make  his  home  here.  Geneva  was  then  a  republic  by  itself,  and  did 
not  belong  to  the  Swiss  Confederation.  The  Government  and  people 
were  strongly  inclined  to  the  Protestant  faith,  and  when  they  estab- 
lished it  their  spiritual  rulers  became  as  intolerant  as  had  been  the 
Catholics  who  preceded  them." 

"It  was  not  an  age  of  tolerance,"  Frank  remarked,  as  his  cousin 
paused.  "  In  religion,  as  in  politics,  those  who  had  the  power  wielded 
it  with  an  iron  hand,  and  the  oppressed  became  oppressors  whenever 
they  had  the  opportunity." 

"  Calvin  made  some  very  severe  rules  for  the  people  of  Geneva,  did 
he  not  V  queried  Mrs.  Bassett. 

"  Certainly  he  did,"  was  the  reply  ;  "  but  somehow  the  people  seem- 
ed to  like  them,  with  now  and  then  an  exception.  Every  citizen  was 
obliged  to  be  a  Christian  and  conform  to  the  established  doctrine.  No 
cards,  dice,  or  other  forms  of  gaming  were  allowed ;  frivolous  words 
were  forbidden ;  attendance  at  church  was  obligatory ;  men  were  re- 
quired to  rise  at  four  in  the  morning,  and  begin  the  day  with  prayer ; 
lights  were  to  be  out  and  all  fires  covered  at  nine  in  the  evening ;  and 
any  infraction  of  these  rules  was  punished  with  great  severity.  Calvin 
has  been  charged  with  causing  Servetus,  a  man  who  had  opinions  of  his 
own,  to  be  burned  at  the  stake.  His  apologists  say  that  while  he  fa- 
vored the  death  of  Servetus,  and  aided  in  securing  his  conviction,  he 
pleaded  earnestly  for  a  more  humane  mode  of  execution,  but  in  vain. 
The  senate  of  Geneva  would  not  modify  their  order,  and  Servetus  was 
burned  accordingly. 

"That  it  was  in  accordance  with  the  intolerant  spirit  of  the  time  is 


264:        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

shown  by  the  circumstance  that  Melancthon  and  Bullinger,  two  noted 
men  of  the  Reformation,  approved  the  execution  of  Servetus,  and  be- 
lieved it  would  be  a  benefit  to  the  cause  they  were  advocating." 

The  conversation  about  John  Calvin  and  his  connection  with  the 
Reformation  was  cut  short  by  a  suggestion  from  Mary  that  they  must 
not  miss  the  Eagles  of  Geneva.  Frank  assented  to  the  suggestion,  and 
the  party  proceeded  to  the  spot  where  the  historic  birds  are  caged. 

Frank  explained  to  his  mother  that  the  eagle  is  the  symbol  of  Ge- 
neva, just  as  the  bear  is  the  symbol  of  Berne.  Six  eagles  are  kept  in 
a  cage  at  the  public  expense,  and  when  one  of  them  dies  another  is 
bought  to  take  its  place.  Some  of  these  captive  eagles  haA'e  lived  forty 
or  fifty  yTears.  and  it  is  said  that  one  of  them  survived  nearly  a  century. 
Mary  observed  that  the  birds  were  not  much  inclined  to  be  sociable, 
as  they  paid  no  attention  to  her  or  any  others  of  the  party,  but  all 
sat  stolidly  on  their  perches,  as  though  wondering  why  they  were  not 
allowed  their  freedom. 

More  interesting  than  the  eagles  was  the  Tower  of  Ca?sar  and  the 
boats  near  it,  where  the  laundresses  of  Geneva  go  to  wash  clothes  in  the 
swift -flowing  river.  Mrs.  Bassett  thought  that  the  laundry  work  of 
Geneva  ought  to  be  of  the  very  best,  as  there  was  such  an  abundant 
supply  of  pure  water  for  rinsing  clothes.  Where  it  enters  the  lake,  at 
the  farther  end,  the  Rhone  is  a  muddy  stream,  bringing  down  the  im- 
purities of  the  soil  from  its  source  at  the  foot  of  the  Rhone  Glacier :  in 
the  lake  it  settles  and  purifies  itself,  so  that  when  it  flows  past  the 
city  of  Geneva  it  is  "  deeply,  darkly,  beautifully  blue."  as  it  has  been 
poetically  described. 

But  we  are  forgetting  the  Tower  of  Ca?sar.  which  is  a  very  old 
structure,  and  in  past  centuries  was  an  important  point  of  observation. 
Tradition  says  that  at  one  time  it  belonged  to  the  dukes  of  Savov, 
who  used  to  watch  their  neighbors,  the  people  of  Geneva,  from  the  com- 
manding top.  and  lay  plans  for  their  capture.  As  they  stood  in  front 
of  the  tower  Frank  narrated  the  story  of  an  attempt  of  the  Savoyards 
to  take  possession  of  Geneva,  in  the  year  1602,  and  their  defeat,  which 
is  still  celebrated  by  the  people  of  Geneva,  on  December  12th.  just  as 
the  Americans  celebrate  the  Fourth  of  July. 

"It  was  in  a  time  of  profound  peace,"  said  Frank,  "that  the  Duke 
of  Savoy  made  his  way  into  the  neighborhood  of  Geneva  with  an  army 
of  -±000  men,  under  pretence  of  hunting.  Every  man  and  boy  in  Ge- 
neva at  that  time  was  trained  to  be  a  warrior,  and  was  expected  to  rush 
to  the  citv's  defence  whenever  the  alarm  was  sounded.     Everv  niffht  at 


266 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


sunset  the  gates  were  closed,  and  sentinels  were  posted ;  and  this  was 
done  invariably  at  all  times,  whether  in  peace  or  war. 

"Nothing  was  suspected  of  the  intentions  of  the  duke,  and  on  the 
night  in  question  the  city  retired  to  sleep,  only  the  sentinels  at  the  gates 

and  on  the  walls  being  on  watch. 
The  duke  brought  his  army  of 
4000  men  close  to  the  walls  under 
cover  of  the  darkness ;  then  he 
had  300  picked  men  scale  the 
walls  silently  and  stealthily  by 
means  of  ladders,  and  conceal 
themselves  along  the  ramparts. 

••  It  was  the  intention  for  these 
300  soldiers  to  lie  perfectly  still 
until  daybreak,  when  they  were  to 
seize  the  gates  and  open  them  for 
the  admission  of  the  army.  About 
two  o'clock  in  the  morning  one 
of  the  sentinels  thought  he  saw 
something  moving,  and  told  his 
corporal,  who  sent  five  men  to  in- 
vestigate. Four  of  the  men  were 
overpowered,  but  the  fifth  had 
time  to  discharge  the  fire-arm  that 
he  carried.  A  drummer  who  fol- 
lowed the  five  also  escaped,  and 
ran  to  the  tower,  beating  his 
drum  as  he  ran.  Then  the  general  alarm  was  sounded,  and  the 
Genevese  men  dressed  in  great  haste  and  ran  to  the  walls.  The  300 
Savoyards  were  caught  within  the  walls  and  were  all  killed.  It  had 
been  agreed  that  a  cannon  from  the  walls  was  to  be  the  signal  for  the 
army  to  advance,  and  when  the  Genevese  fired  their  first  cannon  the 
army  came  forward,  only  to  find  the  walls  covered  with  defenders." 
"  What  happened  then  ''."  Mrs.  Bassett  asked. 

"  The  army  was  defeated,  and  the  duke  was  obliged  to  retire  after  • 
suffering  heavy  loss.     It  is  said  that  when  his  300  chosen  men  had  suc- 
ceeded in  scaling  the  walls  without  discovery  he  considered  that  Geneva 
was  in  his  possession,  and  sent  off  couriers  to  all  the  Catholic  courts  of 
Europe  announcing  that  he  had  entered  the  city." 

"  He  was  what  is  described  in  a  slang  phrase  of  the  present  dav. '  a 


sr 

EAGLES    OF    GE.VETA. 


A   HISTORIC  FOUNTAIN. 


267 


little  too  previous,'  "  Fred  remarked,  as  his  cousin  paused.  Frank  as- 
sented to  the  suggestion,  and  then  Mrs.  Bassett  and  Mary  wanted  to 
know  what  would  have  happened  to  the  people  of  Geneva  if  the  duke's 
stratagem  had  succeeded. 

"  He  had  ordered  his  officers  to  massacre  the  inhabitants  and  give 
the  city  over  to  the  soldiers  to  be  plundered ;  at  least,  such  is  the  story 
of  the  Protestant  historians.  Curiously  enough,  the  attempt  of  the 
duke  was  the  cause  of  much  prosperity  to  Geneva.  Great  sums  of 
money  were  sent  to  the  city  from  various  parts  of  Protestant  Europe, 
and  hundreds,  if  not  thousands,  of  soldiers  offered  their  services  in  its 
defence.  And  that  is  probably  the  reason  why  the  anniversary  of  the 
Escalade  has  been  celebrated  down  to  this  day  with  a  great  deal  of 
enthusiasm  on  every  Twelfth  of  December." 

Then  Frank  led  the  way  to  the  Fountain  of  the  Escalade,  which 
commemorates  the  event,  and  was  erected  at  the  expense  of  the  city 
about  the  middle  of  the  present  century.  It  stands  close  to  the  spot 
where  the  sentinel  discovered  the  moving  objects  on  the  parapet,  as 
narrated  by  Fred  in  his  account  of  the  attempted  surprise.  The  fount- 
ain is  ornamented  with  bronze  figures  which  are  represented  as  scaling 
the  walls,  and  surmounted  with  an  allegorical  figure  in  bronze  which 
represents  the  city  of  Geneva. 

"  According  to  what  I  have  heard  and  read  about  them,"  said  Mrs. 
Bassett, "  the  Swiss  are  a  very  thrifty  people,  and  always  ready  to  em- 
brace an  opportunity  to  make  money.  If  this  is  the  case,  the  attempt 
of  the  Duke  of  Savoy  against  Geneva  is  something  that  they  would 
regard  as  a  piece  of  good-fortune. 
I  read  not  long  ago  a  story,  which 
is  attributed  to  Voltaire,  to  the  ef- 
fect that  in  a  storm  on  the  lake  a 
boat  was  wrecked,  and  the  body  of 
a  woman  was  washed  ashore.  Ef- 
forts to  restore  her  were  useless 
and  were  about  to  be  abandoned, 
when  a  passing  stranger  asked 
whence  the  woman  came.  When 
he  learned  that  she  was  a  Genevese 
he  said  there  was  an  infallible  way 
to  determine  if  she  were  alive  or 
dead.  He  put  a  crown  piece  in 
her  hand ;  her  ringers  closed  upon  fountain  oh-  the  escalade. 


268 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IX  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


it,  and  she  speedily  revived  and  made  great  haste  to  put  the  money 
in  her  pocket."' 

"Yes,"  replied  Frank;  "that  story  is  in  one  of  Voltaire's  poems. 
He  had  a  bitter  hatred  for  the  Genevese.  lie  lived  at  Ferney,  about 
four  miles  from  the  city,  and  was  never  tired  of  abusing  his  neighbors; 
and  it  is  related  of  him  that  he  wrote  satires  about  them,  and  had  the 
satires  put  under  the  doors  of  the  principal  citizens  of  Geneva  at  night. 
He  was  a  bitter  enemy  of  the  little  republic ;  and  his  hatred  is  said  to 

have  arisen  in  consequence  of  their  religion." 

"  But  are  the  people  as  fond  of  money  as 
Voltaire  would  have  us  believe  2" 

"  It  is  possible  that  he  exaggerated  the  case 
a  little ;  but  as  you  travel  through  Switzerland 
you  will  find  that  human  ingenuity  has  been 
pretty  well  exhausted  in  devising  means  for 
extracting  money  from  the  visitors'  pockets. 
Every  point  whence  a  view  can  be  enjoyed  is 
carefully  fenced  in  where  fencing  is  possible, 
and  if  there  is  an  echo  anywhere  there  is  al- 
ways somebody  at  hand  with  a  horn  to  tort- 
ure it  to  the  utmost.  In  either  case  payment 
is  expected  for  the  real  or  fancied  service,  and 
very  often  the  services  are  more  fanciful  than 
real.  "When  Ave  sit  down  to  dinner  in  any 
large  hotel  we  shall  probably  be  entertained 
by  a  musical  band,  which  is  supplied  without 
inquiry  as  to  whether  it  is  wanted  or  not.  "We 
shall  be  expected  to  pay  for  the  music,  either 
by  contributions  dropped  into  a  hat,  or  by  a 
charge  of  half  a  franc  extra  for  each  listener, 
which  we  shall  find  in  our  bills  with  similar  '  extras.' 

"  On  some  of  the  l'oads  drivers  of  wagons  or  carriages,  or  owners  of 
saddle-horses,  are  forbidden  to  take  a  return  passenger.  The  party  who 
has  engaged  a  vehicle  to  take  him  to  a  certain  destination  must  pay 
for  the  double  journey,  and  if  a  traveller  at  that  point  wishes  to  hire  it 
for  the  return  he  cannot  do  so.  He  must  engage  a  fresh  vehicle,  pay- 
ing for  both  ways,  while  the  one  he  might  hire  at  a  low  price  is  com- 
pelled to  go  back  empty.  Thus  the  law  operates  to  the  disadvantage 
of  travellers  and  in  favor  of  the  thrifty  Swiss. 

"  If  the  stranger  in  Switzerland  sets  his  face  against  the  numerous 


A    STREKT    PORTER. 


SWISS   IMPOSITIONS   ON   TRAVELLERS. 


269 


petty  swindles  that  are  perpetrated  he  will  be  continually  in  trouble.  The 
best  plan  is  to  accept  them  as  part  of  the  expense  of  travel  in  the  coun- 
try, and  make  a  stand  now  and  then  when  they  become  too  oppressive." 

Frank  then  narrated  the  experiences  of  several  travellers  who  were 
comparing  notes  about  Switzerland.  One  of  them  told  how  lie  found 
ice  served  at  dinner  to  everybody,  and  as  he  was  from  the  land  where 
ice  is  customary  at  table  he  thought  the  scheme  an  excellent  one.  His 
views  changed  when  he  found  that  every  patron  of  the  house  had  been 
charged  half  a  franc  extra  for  ice — an  arrangement  which  gave  a  hand- 
some return  to  the  landlord  for  his  trouble. 

Another  told  how  he  called  for  his  bill  once  when  leaving  a  hotel, 
and  found  it  larger  than  he  had  expected.  He  looked  carefully  through 
it  to  find  overcharges,  but  could  not  detect  them ;  again  he  looked,  but 
overcharges  he  could  not  discover.  Then  he  went  over  the  bill  again, 
copying  each  item  on  a  slip  of  paper  in  order  to  analyze  the  document 
more  thoroughly.  This  time  he  found  where  the  trick  was,  and  it 
was  certainly  a  very 
shrewd  one. 

It  was  the  fifteenth 
of  the  month,  and  the 
date  of  the  bill  was  so 
placed  that  the  figures 
for  it  stood  at  the  col- 
umn of  items.  As  it 
was  read  off  the  bill 
was  innocent  enough, 
but  unless  the  recipient 
was  especially  watch- 
ful he  would  be  pretty 
sure  to  add  in  the  date, 
and  thus  augment  the 
items  by  the  day  of 
the  month.  On  com- 
paring notes  with  oth- 
ers at  the  same  hotel, 
the  traveller  found 
that  the  trick  was 
played  wherever  there 
was  a  chance  that  it 
would  not  be  detected. 


TRYING    FOR    A    FEE. 


270        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

"  We  must  make  a  rule  to  call  early  for  our  bills,  so  as  to  have  abun- 
dant time  to  examine  them,"  said  Frank.  "When  we  are  to  leave  in 
the  morning  we  must  have  our  hills  the  night  before;  it  is  a  trick  to 
withhold  the  bill  till  the  last  minute,  so  that  overcharges  may  escape 
undetected,  in  the  hurry  of  the  traveller's  departure. 

"  But  though  they  may  be  prone  to  deceive,"  continued  Frank,  "  the 
Swiss  certainly  are  the  best  hotel-keepers  in  Europe.  We  shall  find  ex- 
cellent hotels  almost  everywhere  we  go,  and  it  has  often  been  said  that 
a  really  bad  one  cannot  exist  here." 

We  may  say  here  that  Frank's  prediction  was  justified  to  the  full 
extent,  as  was  acknowledged  by  all  members  of  the  party  before  their 
departure  from  the  country.  The  remark  applies  to  the  small  hotels  in 
the  mountain  districts  as  well  as  to  the  great  establishments  in  Geneva, 
Berne,  Lucerne,  Vevay,  Interlaken,  Zurich,  Basle,  and  other  places. 

As  they  were  turning  away  from  the  fountain  of  the  Escalade,  with 
their  faces  towards  the  lake,  Mary  asked  for  the  island  of  Jean  Jacques 
Rousseau,  or,  to  abbreviate  its  title,  "  Rousseau  Isle." 

"  It  is  the  smaller  of  the  two  islands  in  the  Rhone,  just  as  it  leaves 
the  lake,"  Fred  replied.  "  We  are  going  towards  it.  and  will  soon  be 
there,  if  we  don't  stop  on  the  way.*' 

They  reached  Rousseau's  Island  bjT  means  of  the  first  bridge  below 
that  of  Mont  Blanc  ;  the  island  lies  between  the  two  bridges,  and  is  con- 
nected with  the  lower  one  by  a  small  bridge  of  its  own.  As  they  were 
approaching  it  Mrs.  Bassett  asked  whence  it  received  its  name. 

"It  was  named  after  Jean  Jacques  Rousseau."  replied  Fred,  "a 
musical  composer  and  the  author  of  several  stories  and  philosophical 
works  more  or  less  famous.  He  was  the  son  of  a  watch-maker  of  this 
city,  and  was  born  here  in  1712  ;  his  mother  died  in  his  infancy,  his  fa- 
ther was  obliged  to  flee  from  Geneva,  and  the  boy  was  left  to  the  care 
of  an  uncle.  The  uncle  bound  him  as  an  apprentice  to  an  engraver,  but 
the  occupation  was  uncongenial  and  the  apprentice  ran  away  to  Savoy, 
where  he  led  a  wandering  life  for  some  years." 

"  When  did  he  develop  his  taste  for  music  ?"  Mrs.  Bassett  asked. 

"  He  had  been  fond  of  it  all  his  life,  but  in  his  youth  devoted  very 
little  time  to  studying  it.  When  he  was  twenty-one  years  old  he  found 
himself  at  Lausanne  with  no  money  in  his  pocket,  and  in  order  to  avoid 
starvation  he  announced  himself  as  '  a  singing-teacher  from  Faris.'  He 
obtained  several  pupils,  though  he  declares  in  his  Confession*  that  he 
was  not  at  all  qualified  to  teach  even  the  rudiments  of  music.  Not  only 
did  he  call  himself  a  teacher,  but  he  set  up  as  a  composer,  and  actually 


REMINISCENCES   OF   ROUSSEAU. 


271 


JEAN    JACQUES    ROUSSEAU. 


composed  a  piece  of  music  which  he  gave  to  be  performed  at  a  private 
entertainment.  His  account  of  it  is  that  it  was  a  terrible  discord  which 
set  the  musicians  and  audience  to  laughing,  the  only  piece  of  melody  in 
the  whole  composition  being  a  street  air  which  he  had  'borrowed'  from 
somebody,  a  practice  not  unknown  in  our  day." 

"  I  don't  believe  he  remained  long  in  Lausanne  after  that  perform- 
ance," Mary  remarked,  as  Fred  paused. 

"Exactly  how  long  he  remained  I  can't  say,"  was  the  reply,  "but 
until  he  went  to  Paris,  in  1741,  he  never  remained  long  in  one  place. 


272        THE  BOY.  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

He  had  invented  a  system  of  musical  notation  by  figures  which  lie 
hoped  would  bring  him  fame  and  fortune ;  but  it  brought  him  neither, 
as  the  experts  to  whom  it  was  referred  for  examination  said  that  it  was 
neither  new  nor  useful.  lie  lived  in  great  poverty  for  a  while,  but  all 
the  time  he  was  improving  in  musical  knowledge,  and  engaged  in  liter- 
ature. Fame  came  to  him  in  due  course  of  time  through  his  books  and 
his  musical  compositions,  and  he  was  a  favorite  at  the  royal  court.  But 
the  favor  in  which  he  was  held  came  to  au  end  when  he  published  a 
letter  on  French  2nusic,  and  in  it  said  '  there  is  neither  measure  nor  mel- 
ody in  it,  because  the  language  is  not  susceptible  of  them.'  This  remark, 
with  others  of  a  similar  nature,  roused  such  a  burst  of  indignation  that 
he  tied  from  France  and  returned  to  his  native  city." 

By  this  time  our  friends  were  at  the  little  island  which  is  dedicated 
to  Rousseau  and  contains  his  statue,  shadowed  by  several  tall  trees. 
The  tradition  is  that  this  island  was  a  favorite  retreat  of  the  philoso- 
pher, and  here  he  composed  some  of  the  works  that  made  his  name  fa- 
mous. Another  story  is  that  very  little  of  his  life  was  passed  at  Geneva 
after  his  flight  from  it  in  his  youth,  the  city  honoring  him  far  more 
since  his  death  than  it  ever  did  during  his  life. 

The  attention  of  Mary  and  Fred  was  divided  between  the  statue  of 
the  philosopher  and  the  colony  of  swans  that  occupy  a  wire  enclosure 
at  one  side  of  the  island,  and  it  is  the  positive  averment  of  Frank  that 
the  swans  had  by  far  the  most  of  it.  The  girl  and  her  cousin  invested 
a  goodly  amount  of  copper  coin  in  buying  bread  wherewith  to  feed  the 
swans,  whose  appetites  seemed  to  be  as  limitless  as  the  snows  on  the 
summit  of  Mont  Blanc,  and  a  great  deal  more  active. 

The  other  island  which  has  been  mentioned  is  much  larger  than 
that  of  Rousseau,  and  is  crowded  with  tall  houses,  which  are  densely  peo- 
pled by  men  and  women  of  the  working  classes.  It  is  a  part  of  the 
Geneva  of  the  time  of  John  Calvin.  The  new  Geneva  is  much  larger 
tliau  the  old,  and  its  population  is  increasing  from  year  to  year  at  a  rate 
which  promises  to  carry  the  municipal  limits  very  much  farther  along 
the  borders  of  the  lake  at  no  distant  day. 

••  What  do  the  people  do  for  a  living  besides  keeping  hotels '.''  Mrs. 
Bassett  asked,  as  they  sat  beneath  the  shade  of  the  trees  on  Rousseau's 
Island  and  looked  out  upon  the  water. 

"  Geneva  is  an  important  centre  of  the  watch-making  industry."  re- 
plied Frank.  "  Out  of  the  population  of  nearly  eighty  thousand  there 
are  probably  six  thousand  engaged  in  the  various  branches  of  watch- 
making, and  three  thousand  in  the  construction  of  musical  boxes  and 


INDUSTRIES   OP  GENEVA. 


973 


the  manufacture  of  jewelry.  Then  there  are  factories  for  the  produc- 
tion of  velvets  and  other  goods  of  silk,  and  for  musical,  mathematical, 
and  surgical  instruments.  There  are  no  duties  on  imported  goods,  and 
therefore  an  important  industry  is  that  of  smuggling  into  France  and 
Italy,  which  are  close  at  hand." 

"  It  would  he  a  good  place  to  supply  ourselves  with  watches,"  said 
Mary,  "  if  we  happened  to  want  any." 

"  Theoretically,  yes,"  was  the  reply ;  "  but  practically  I  believe  it  is 
otherwise.  The  dealers  in  watches  must  take  care  not  to  injure  their 
trade  with  retailers  elsewhere,  and  consequently  the  retail  prices  at 
Geneva  are  nearly,  if  not  quite,  the  same  as  the  retail  prices  else- 
where.    Sometimes  they  are  said  to  be  higher." 


TOWER   OF    CESAR,    AND    THE    LAUNDRESSES. 


18 


274        THE  BUY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

"  Don't  think  of  buying  a  watch  in  Geneva,  my  dear,"  said  Mrs. 
Bassett,  with  a  very  decided  emphasis  in  her  voice. 

'•Why  so,  mamma?"  queried  Mary. 

"  Because — well,  let  me  tell  you  my  experience.  "When  your  uncle. 
Doctor  Bronson,  made  one  of  his  early  trips  to  Europe,  and  was  intend- 
ing to  visit  Geneva,  your  father  asked  him  to  buy  a  watch  here  for  me. 
lie  bought  it,  and  was  assured  by  the  makers  that  it  was  one  of  the 
very  best  of  its  class.  They  told  him  that  if  it  should  happen  to  go 
Avrong  at  any  time  he  had  only  to  take  it  to  their  agents,  any  one  of 
their  agents  in  America,  and  it  would  be  set  in  order  at  once.  They 
gave  him  a  list  of  their  agents,  and  he  came  away  satisfied  that  he  had 
made  a  line  purchase  for  me. 

"When  I  began  to  carry  the  watch  it  did  not  keep  good  time; 
something  was  out  of  order,  and  your  father  took  it  to  the  agent  in 
Boston,  where  we  lived  at  the  time.  The  agent  looked  hastily  at  the 
watch  and  then  handed  it  back,  with  the  remark  that  he  did  not  hold 
himself  responsible  for  any  watches  purchased  elsewhere  than  in  his 
own  establishment.     He  repudiated  utterly  the  promises  of  the  Geneva 

house,  and  all  other  agents  of -  tfc  Co.  to  whom  the  watch  has 

been  shown  have  done  likewise.  It  proved  to  be  worthless  as  a  time- 
piece, and  was  sold  long  ago  for  the  value  of  the  gold  in  the  case. 
Take  ray  advice,  my  dear,  and  if  you  buy  a  Swiss  watch  buy  it  of  a  first- 
class  dealer  in  the  city  where  you  live.  But,  better  yet.  be  patriotic  and 
buy  an  American  watch — one  that  is  likely  to  be  more  satisfactory  as 
a  timepiece  than  anything  you  will  find  in  Switzerland.*' 

Frank  and  Fred  echoed  Mrs.  Bassett's  opinions  upon  the  subject  of 
watches,  the  former  explaining  to  his  sister  that  Swiss  watches  are 
nearly  all  the  product  of  hand-labor,  while  the  American  watch  is  made 
as  far  as  possible  by  machinery. 

Mary  asked  if  the  Americans  put  the  material  for  their  watches  into 
one  end  of  a  machine  and  brought  out  the  finished  product  at  the  other. 
Frank  laughed  at  the  suggestion,  but  said  it  was  not  so  far  from  the 
facts  of  the  case  as  might  be  imagined. 

"All  the  parts  of  an  American  watch — wheels,  screws,  pinions,  and 
other  things  " — said  Frank.  "  are  made  by  machinery.  When  watches 
of  any  given  grade  are  produced,  the  different  parts  for  a  hundred  or  a 
thousand  of  them  may  be  thrown  into  a  heap  together.  Then  if  enough 
to  compose  a  single  watch  are  picked  out  and  put  together  they  will  be 
found  to  fit  exactly.  This  is  not  the  case  with  the  different  parts  of 
Swiss  watches,  as  they  are  mostly  made  by  hand  and  require  a  great 


AMERICAN   WATCH-MAKING. 


275 


deal  of  work  to  fit  them  together  properly.  If  you  break  any  part  of 
your  watch  your  jeweller  has  only  to  send  to  the  factory  for  a  dupli- 
cate, and  it  will  not  need  any  filing  or  adjusting  to  fit  it  into  place." 

"  Is  not  the  same  principle  fol- 
lowed in  other  lines  of  American 
manufacture  ?"  Mary  asked. 

"  Yes,''  was  the  reply,  "  it  is 
followed  in  the  manufacture  of 
fire-arms,  sewing-machines,  type- 
writers, agricultural  implements, 
steam-engines,  weighing  appara- 
tus, and  other  things  almost  with- 
out number.  It  would  be  much 
easier  to  tell  where  it  is  not  fol- 
lowed than  where  it  is ;  it  is  the 
American  way  of  utilizing  ma- 
chinery and  making  it  take  the 

place  of  hand-labor,  for  the  double  reason  that  it  is  less  expensive  and 
has  a  uniform  accuracy  that  no  hand-labor  can  ever  attain." 

"  I  was  reading  the  other  day,"  said  Mary,  "  about  somebodv  who 
was  designated  as  a  '  machine  politician.'  Do  they  carry  the  same 
principle  of  manufacture  into  politics  I" 

"  We  haven't  time  to  discuss  American  politics  now,"  was  the  re- 
ply ;  "  at  present  we  are  concerning  ourselves  with  Switzerland." 


SKULL    WATCH    OF    MARY    STCART. 


270 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS   IN   CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

THE  CANTON  OF  GENEVA;  SKETCH  OF  ITS  HISTORY;  NOTED  PERSONS  WHO  HAVE 
FOUND  REFUGE  AT  GENEVA ;  POPULATION,  RELIGION,  AND  GOVERNMENT.— 
GOVERNMENT  OF  THE  SWISS  REPUBLIC— THE  ARMY  AND  NAVY.— A  SWISS 
ADMIRAL— HOUSES  OF  PARLIAMENT,  AND  THEIR  RELATIONS  TO  EACH  OTHER. 
—NEUTRALITY  OF  SWITZERLAND.  —  RUSSIAN  NIHILISTS.  —  DRIVES  AROUND 
GENEVA.— FERNEY  AND  VOLTAIRE.— RELICS  OF  THE  GREAT  PHILOSOPHER.— 
ANECDOTES  OF  VOLTAIRE'S  LIFE.  — LAKE  LEMAN.  —  THE  STEAMER  BOXX1- 
VARD.— THE  PRISONER  OF  CHILLON.— VOYAGE  ALONG  THE  LAKE.— REMINIS- 
CENCES OF  BYRON  AND  GIBBON.— OUCHY  AND  LAUSANNE. 


A  DAY  sufficed  for  the  sights  of  Geneva,  which  are  by  no  means  nu- 
merous, as  the  reader  has  seen.     "  It  is  a  small  city,  and  has  few 
monuments  of  consequence,"  said  Frank ;  "  but  it  is  a  famous  place  in 
history,  as  it  has  been  the  stronghold  of  libertj"  for  many  centuries. 
You  know  already  about  its  prominence  in  the  work  of  the  Reforma- 
tion.    It  has  been  called  the  printing-press 
of  Europe,  because  it  was  the  origin  of  many 
publications  that  were  denied  existence  any- 
where else  on  the  Continent. 

"  Since  the  days  of  the  Reformation  it 
has  been  the  refuge  of  those  who  were  com- 
pelled to  flee  from  their  own  lands  because 
p*-      their  opinions  on  religion   or  politics  were 
not    in    favor   at   home.      Don    Carlos,  the 
pretender  to  the  Spanish  throne,  has  lived 
here,  and  so  have  Queen  Isabella  and  other 
deposed  monarchs.      For  centuries  it  has  been  the   resort  of  French- 
men who  were  exiled  on  account   of  their  political  opinions,  and  at 
present  it  is  the  dwelling-place  of  a  considerable  number  of  Russian 
Nihilists  and  other  revolutionists  from  various  European  countries." 
"  How  large  is  the  Canton  of  Geneva  ?"  Marv  asked. 
•■  It  contains  one  hundred  and  nine  square  miles  altogether,  and  is 
therefore  smaller  in  area  than  some  American  townships.     It  has  not 


GENEVA  AND   ITS   GOVERNMENT.  277 

far  from  one  hundred  thousand  inhabitants,  and  three-fourths  of  these 
reside  within  the  limits  of  the  city.  Considering  its  area  and  popula- 
tion, it  has  certainly  made  a  great  deal  of  noise  in  the  world  for  a  place 
occupying  so  small  a  space  on  the  map  of  Europe. 

"  The  population  is  about  equally  divided  between  Catholics  and 
Protestants,  and  French  is  the  prevailing  language.  There  is  a  univer- 
sity here  which  was  founded  in  1368,  and  there  are  schools  of  such  ex- 
cellent character  that  they  attract  pupils  from  all  parts  of  Europe,  and 
even  from  America  and  Asia.  The  government  of  the  canton  is  repub- 
lican, and  is  controlled  by  a  legislature,  or  '  Grand  Council,'  which  con- 
tains one  delegate  for  every  666  inhabitants." 

"  I  suppose  these  delegates  make  all  the  laws  for  the  government 
of  the  city  and  canton,"  Mrs.  Bassett  remarked. 

"Yes,"  was  the  reply,  "  and  they  choose  from  their  number  an  Exec- 
utive Committee,  or  '  Council  of  State,'  of  seven,  whose  duty  is  to  exe- 
cute the  laws,  regulate  the  police,  and  attend  to  all  matters  of  adminis- 
tration. They  hold  office  for  two  years.  The  President  receives  a 
salary  of  $1100,  and  the  other  members  $1000  each." 

"  They  are  not  paid  very  high  for  their  services.  But  perhaps  they 
do  not  have  much  to  do  in  return  for  their  money." 

"  The  city  and  canton  are  peaceful  enough,  and  probably  their  offi- 
cers are  not  obliged  to  work  very  hard.  They  can  look  after  their  own 
business  as  well  as  that  of  the  public,  but  the  man  who  neglects  public 
affairs  for  his  own  will  very  soon  find  himself  unpopular." 

Frank  then  said  that  for  a  long  period  Geneva  was  a  republic  by  it- 
self. It  was  occupied  by  the  French  in  the  latter  part  of  the  last  cen- 
tury and  the  early  part  of  the  present  one.  With  the  fall  of  Napoleon 
I.,  Geneva  regained  its  freedom.  It  had  been  frequently  allied  with  the 
Swiss,  and  in  1S15  it  was  united  with  the  Swiss  Republic,  being  the  last 
of  the  twenty-two  cantons  to  join  the  confederation.  "  The  Swiss  Con- 
federation,". Frank  added,  "  was  formed  in  1308  by  the  three  cantons  of 
Uri,  Schwyz,  and  Unterwald.  Five  other  cantons  were  united  with  it 
during  the  next  fifty  years,  and  in  the  sixteenth  century  it  comprised 
thirteen  cantons.  Others  were  added  from  time  to  time  until  1798, 
when  it  constituted  the  Helvetic  Republic,  which  lasted  until  1S03." 

"  "What  happened  then  V  queried  one  of  the  listeners. 

"  Napoleon  I.  organized  a  new  confederation  of  nineteen  cantons, 
and  this  was  increased  by  the  addition  of  Wallis,  Neufchatel,  and  Gene- 
va in  1815.  Geneva  was  the  last  to  join  the  confederation,  as  you  al- 
ready know." 


27S 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


"  I  suppose  the  cantons  hold  the  same  relation  to  the  Central  Gov- 
ernment that  the  various  States  of  the  American  Onion  hold  towards 
the  Government  at  Washington  ;  do  they  not?"  Airs.  Bassett  asked. 

"The  relation  is  very  much  the  same."  Frank  replied.     '-The  can- 


YIEW    IN    OLD    GENEVA. 


tons  send  representatives  to  the  National  Council,  as  the  lower  house  of 
the  Swiss  Congress  is  called,  in  the  proportion  of  one  delegate  for  every 
20,000  of  population.  The  upper  house,  corresponding  to  the  American 
Senate,  consists  of  forty-four  members,  two  for  each  canton,  and  is  called 
the  '  Standerath,'  or  State  Council.  The  representatives  are  elected  every 
three  years.  Every  citizen  twenty  years  old  may  vote,  and  any  citizen 
who  is  not  a  clergyman  may  he  elected  a  deputy.  Both  houses  are  to- 
gether called  the  '  Bundes-Yersammlung,"  or  Federal  Assembly ;  this 
assembly  elects  a  Bundesrath,  or  Federal  Council,  of  seven  members, 
and  any  citizen  is  eligible,  provided  he  is  a  qualified  voter.  The  Bundes- 
rath is  the  executive  body  of  the  Government;  the  President  anil  Vice- 
president  of  the  Bundesrath  are  the  highest  officers  of  the  republic,  and 
they  are  elected  by  the  Federal  Assembly,  to  hold  office  for  one  year 


THE   SWISS   CONFEDERATION. 


279 


only.  They  may  be  elected  again,  but  not  until  they  have  been  for 
one  year  out  of  office.  The  President  receives  $3000  a  year,  and  the 
members  of  the  Federal  Council  are  paid  $2400  each  for  their  services, 
which  are  equivalent  to  those  of  members  of  the  President's  Cabinet  in 
the  United  States  of  America." 

"  Thank  you  very  much  for  this  explanation  of  the  form  of  the 
Swiss  government,"  said  Mrs.  Bassett.  "  And  there's  one  thing  more  I 
wish  you  would  explain,  as  it  puzzles  me  somewhat." 

"  "What  is  that  ?" 

"  How  does  it  happen  that  this  little  republic  manages  to  exist  when 
it  is  surrounded  by  powerful  monarchies?  One  might  suppose  that  it 
would  have  been  broken  up  long  ago  and  annexed  to  one  or  other  of  its 
neighbors,  or  possibly  divided  among  them." 

••  It  is  doubtless  the  case  that  any  of  its  neighbors  would  be  glad  to 
possess  the  whole  of  Switzerland,  but  no  one  of  them  would  be  willing 
for  it  to  go  into  the  possession  of  an}T  or  all  of  the  others.     The  jealousy 


OPEN-AIR    PARLIAMENT    IN    SWITZERLAND. 


2S0        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

of  the  powers  of  each  other  has  been  the  protection  of  Switzerland.  In 
1815  the  Governments  of  France.  Austria,  Great  Britain,  Prussia,  and 
Russia  made  a  formal  acknowledgment  of  the  neutrality  of  Switzerland 
and  the  integrity  of  her  territory.  Xone  of  them  can  make  war  upon 
her  without  bringing  all  the  rest  to  her  aid.  and  by  the  same  treatv 
Switzerland  is  forbidden  to  make  war  upon  any  other  country." 

"  But  hasn*t  she  an  army  (" 

"  Certainly  she  has  a  military  organization  which  corresponds  to 
our  militia,  as  the  constitution  forbids  the  maintenance  of  a  standino- 
army.  Every  citizen  capable  of  bearing  arms  is  liable  to  military  duty : 
he  undergoes  a  certain  amount  of  training,  and  the  boys  at  school,  from 
the  age  of  eight  years,  are  instructed  in  the  manual  of  arms.  In  the 
first  year  of  his  service,  when  he  is  twenty  years  old.  every  man  is  called 
to  perform  from  forty-two  to  eighty  days  of  training,  and  after  that, 
until  he  reaches  the  age  of  thirty-two  years,  he  has  sixteen  days  of  train- 
ing each  year.  From  his  thirty-second  to  his  forty-fourth  year  he  may 
be  called  out  for  two  or  three  days  each  year,  and  after  the  last  named 
age  until  he  is  fifty  he  will  be  required  to  serve  in  case  of  war.  Those 
who  are  eligible  to  service  but  do  not  perform  it  may  pay  a  tax  instead, 
but  this  is  only  allowed  in  time  of  peace.  As  the  country  has  had  no 
war  within  the  memory  of  living  men.  the  military  duties  of  the  Swiss 
army  are  not  severe.  The  principal  use  of  the  troops  has  been  to  guard 
the  frontier  when  any  of  her  neighbors  were  at  war.  in  order  that  the 
neutralitj7  of  the  country  should  not  be  violated." 

'•  How  large  a  navy  is  there  in  Switzerland  V 

Frank  paused  before  replying,  and  then  suggested  that  the  navy  of 
Switzerland  was  like  the  snakes  of  Ireland. 

"  You  mean  there  isn"t  any,"  said  Mrs.  Bassett.  "  Of  course  I  should 
have  known  that  a  country  without  a  seaport  could  not  have  a  navy 
— and  yet  it  seems  that  I  have  heard  of  a  Swiss  admiral." 

"  That  is  true ;  but  it  was  only  in  a  play  on  the  stage.  In  the  opera- 
bouffe  entitled  '  La  Tie  Parisienne "  there  is  a  Swiss  admiral  who  comes 
upon  the  stage  in  a  nondescript  sort  of  costume  that  is  exceedingly  gro- 
tesque and  with  a  pair  of  spurs  on  his  heels." 

••  Evidently  a  horse-marine."  said  Mary.  And  the  army  and  navy  of 
Switzerland  were  dropped  from  their  conversation — at  least  for  the  time. 

'•  You  mentioned  the  Russian  ZSTihilists  among  those  who  found  ref- 
uge at  Geneva,"  said  Mrs.  Bassett.     "Are  there  many  of  them  here  '." 

"  I  know  very  little  about  them."  replied  the  youth.  "  I  asked  the 
manager  of  the  hotel  to  tell  me  about  the  Nihilists,  and  he  said  he  could 


A    NIHILIST    FAMILY    AT   HOME. 


282       THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

not  give  me  much  information,  for  the  reason  that  they  kept  very  closely 
to  themselves  and  were  rarely  seen  around  any  of  the  hotels.  Most  of 
them  are  very  poor,  so  he  told  me,  and  live  in  cheap  lodgings  in  obscure 
parts  of  the  town.  Those  who  have  money  spend  it  for  the  benefit  of 
those  who  have  none,  or  for  the  Nihilist  cause.  They  are  popularly 
supposed  to  be  constantly  plotting  against  the  Government  of  Russia, 
and  it  is  charged  that  some  of  the  assassinations  of  high  officials  in 
the  empire  had  their  origin  at  Geneva.  The  refugees  are  constantly 
watched  by  spies,  and  it  has  been  said  that  sometimes  the  city  contains 
more  spies  than  Nihilists.  The  latter  aver  that  the  spies  try  to  incite 
them  to  do  things  that  would  lead  to  their  expulsion  from  Geneva. 
The  Swiss  Government  has  given  warning  that  plots  against  the  Rus- 
sian Government  or  against  the  lives  of  any  of  the  Czar's  officials  will 
not  be  permitted;  and  it  happens  now  and  then  that  a  refugee  comes 
under  suspicion,  and  is  ordered  to  leave  the  country.  The  Nihilists 
claim  that  they  keep  within  the  requirements  of  the  law,  and  the  accu- 
sations against  them  are  false." 

A  considerable  portion  of  the  Nihilist  literature  that  is  circulated  in 
Russia  is  said  to  be  printed  at  Geneva.  It  is  introduced  into  the  empire 
in  various  ways,  and  as  fast  as  one  channel  of  introduction  is  discovered 
and  closed  another  is  opened.  Other  cities  of  Switzerland  are  the  abodes 
of  Nihilists,  and  there  is  a  considerable  number  of  them  in  Paris.  The 
recent  friendliness  of  Russia  and  France  has  operated  unfavorably  for 
the  Nihilists  in  Paris,  and  some  of  them  have  been  compelled  to  move 
to  places  where  they  are  less  closely  watched  than  in  the  capital. 

The  number  of  Russian  refugees  at  Geneva  varies  considerably  from 
time  to  time,  being  influenced  by  the  activity  of  the  revolutionists  in 
Russia,  and  by  the  leniency  or  severity  of  the  French  authorities.  They 
vehemently  declare  that  they  have  no  revolutionary  organization  in 
Geneva,  Paris,  Zurich,  or  any  other  city  where  they  congregate,  as  such 
an  organization  would  bring  them  in  conflict  with  the  local  laws  con- 
cerning conspiracy.  It  is  pretty  certain  that  their  acts,  meetings,  and 
correspondence  are  the  subject  of  a  great  deal  of  falsehood,  and  are  rep- 
resented as  many  times  worse  than  is  really  the  case.  The  great  num- 
ber of  spies  maintained  by  the  Russian  Government  is  responsible  for 
most  of  the  stories  of  Nihilist  conspiracies.  The  spies  are  obliged  to 
make  a  pretence  of  activity  for  fear  of  losing  their  employment,  and 
hence  they  are  forced  to  invent  treasonable  plots  against  the  Czar  and 
his  Government,  and  send  long  accounts  of  Nihilist  meetings  that  never 
took  place. 


THE   SUBURBS  OF  GENEVA. 


2S3 


After  inspecting  the  city  to  their  satisfaction,  our  friends  turned  their 
attention  to  its  suburbs  and  the  points  of  interest  in  the  immediate 
neighborhood.     Their  eyes  had  already  been  attracted  to  the  villas  that 
studded  both  banks  of  the  lake,  and 
Mrs.  Bassett  had  eagerly  asked  to 
■whom  they  belonged. 

"  The  list  is  too  long  for  me  to 
remember,"  said  Frank.  "  We  will 
engage  a  carriage  and  take  a  drive 
alone;  the  shore,  so  that  ire  can  see 
the  villas  in  detail,  and  visit  such  as 
ai'e  open  to  the  public." 

The  carriage  was  taken  accord- 
ingly, the  driver  arranging  to  act  as 
guide  and  point  out  the  objects  of 
interest.  One  after  another  he 
named  the  most  important  of  the 
villas  along  the  route,  including  the 
one  formerly  occupied  by  the  Em- 
press Josephine,  the  villa  of  the 
Countess  Gasparin,  and  the  Villa 
Tronchin,  which  was  once  the  prop- 
erty of  Voltaire.  Most  of  the  time 
our  friends  were  in    sight    of   the 

lake,  and  now  and  then  they  had  a  fine  view  of  the  snowy  tops  of 
Mont  Blanc  and  his  fellow-mountains,  fifty  miles  away. 

When  they  reached  the  boundary  between  France  and  Switzerland 
the  driver  paused  a  few  moments  to  narrate  an  incident  in  his  expe- 
rience in  showing  strangers  about. 

"  One  day  a  gentleman,  a  stranger  in  Geneva,  engaged  me  for  a 
drive,  and  said  he  wanted  to  see  all  the  sights  in  the  neighborhood. 
I  drove  him  around  the  city,  and  then  came  out  by  this  road,  pointing 
out  the  villas,  and  giving  him  the  names  of  the  various  mountains  that 
were  in  sight.  He  seemed  very  much  interested,  and  when  we  crossed 
the  frontier  he  was  talking  about  something,  so  that  I  did  not  have  an 
opportunity  to  tell  him  we  were  at  the  border. 

"  We  were  in  France  half  a  mile  or  so  before  I  told  him  where  we 
were.  Then  he  sprang  to  his  feet,  turned  pale  as  a  ghost,  and  in  a  voice 
that  was  trembling  quite  as  much  as  his  body  was  shaking  all  over,  told 
me  to  drive  back  to  Geneva  as  quickly  as  I  could. 


2S4        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IX  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

"  Of  course  I  did  as  lie  told  me  and  put  my  horses  to  the  gallop,  and 

when  I  crossed  the  boundary,  and  was  once  more  on  Swiss  soil,  1  vent- 
ured to  look  around.  There  was  my  gentleman  almost  in  a  faint. 
When  I  told  him  he  was  safe  the  color  came  back  to  his  face,  and  he 
did  not  tremble  so  much,  but  he  didn't  want  any  more  sight-seeing  in 
the  environs  of  Geneva  for  that  day  at  least." 

The  individual  thus  described  was  a  noted,  or  rather  a  notorious, 
Frenchman,  who  had  been  in  a  condition  of  hostility  to  the  French 
Government  for  the  past  thirty  years ;  whether  imperial  or  republican, 
has  made  no  difference  in  the  character  of  his  hostility.  After  his  es- 
cape from  New  Caledonia,  whither  he  was  banished,  he  took  up  his  res- 
idence in  Geneva,  in  order  to  be  as  near  as  possible  to  Paris,  and  at  the 
same  time  safe  from  arrest. 

Our  friends  reached  Ferney,  which  owes  its  existence  to  Voltaire. 
He  bought  the  land  about  1760,  invited  colonists  there,  and  built  facto- 
ries and  a  handsome  residence  for  himself.  He  also  built  a  church  for 
the  use  of  the  colonists  who  settled  in  the  neighborhood,  and  would  not 
be  likely  to  remain  unless  they  had  suitable  religious  privileges. 

••  It  is  said  that  in  Voltaire's  time,"  Frank  remarked,  "  the  village 
of  Ferney  had  more  than  a  thousand  inhabitants ;  now  there  are  little 
more  than  one-third  that  number.  The  church  is  not  regularly  used  for 
religious  worship,  and  for  some  years  it  was  occupied  as  a  farm-house." 

"  Can  we  see  the  house  where  Voltaire  lived  2"  Mrs.  Bassett  asked. 

"  I  believe  it  can  be  seen  in  the  absence  of  the  owner,"  was  the  reply. 
'•  The  driver  can  tell  us  whether  we  can  view  it." 

That  worthy  said  they  would  be  permitted  to  inspect  a  portion  of 
the  house,  and  see  relics  of  the  man  who  used  to  entertain  kings,  em- 
perors,  grand-dukes,  and  other  great  personages. 

"  We  were  shown  through  some  of  the  rooms  of  the  chateau,"  said 
Fred,  "  including  Voltaire's  bedroom  and  study.  The  pictures  on  the 
walls  were  there  in  his  time,  and  we  specially  observed  that  there  were 
two  engravings  in  good  condition,  one  representing  Washington  and  the 
other  Franklin.  Xear  them  is  a  portrait  of  Catherine  II.,  Empress  of 
Russia,  and  there  is  an  inscription  on  it  which  shows  it  to  have  been 
painted  by  order  of  the  Empress  as  a  present  to  the  philosopher.  There 
is  also  a  bronze  bust  of  the  Empress  in  the  same  room,  while  in  the  other 
is  a  great  stove  which  was  a  present  from  Frederick  the  Great.  There 
are  portraits  and  landscapes  on  the  walls  of  the  study,  but  there  is  no 
landscape  which  equals  the  view  from  the  garden  just  behind  the  study, 
to  which  we  were  shown  after  our  inspection  of  the  rooms  was  com- 


CHAT   ABOUT   VOLTAIRE. 


285 


pleted.  This  view  includes  Mont  Blanc  and  Lake  Leman,  and  in  the 
garden  we  saw  an  arbor  where  Voltaire  did  much  of  his  writing  during 
the  twenty  years  that  he  lived  here  and  kept  open  house." 

Mrs.  Bassett  naturally  asked  for  what  Voltaire  was  most  famous. 
Fred  replied  that  it  was  difficult  to  name  any  one  thing  in  which  he 
was  more  famous  than  in  all  others.  He  wrote  nearly  everything — 
plays,  poems,  histories,  novels,  and  essays  upon  all  sorts  of  subjects. 
Most  of  his  novels  had  usually  some  doctrinal  object — social,  political, 
religious,  or  scientific — and  he  never  hesitated  to  discuss  any  subject, 
no  matter  what,  that  was  brought  to  his  attention. 

"  The  worst  thing  I  ever  read  or  heard  about  him,"  said  Mrs.  Bas- 
sett, "  is  that  he  was  an  atheist.  Was  he  really  an  unbeliever  in  the 
existence  of  a  Deity  or  any  overruling  power  ?" 

"  His  biographers  claim  that  he  was  not  in  any  sense  an  atheist," 
was  the  reply,  "  and  they  point  to  many  passages  in  his  later  works  to 


YOLTAIRE  S    HOUSE    AT    i'ERNEY. 


prove  the  correctness  of  their  assertion.  In  his  earlier  writings  it  was 
his  custom  to  sneer  at  religion,  and  at  everything  else  which  right- 
minded  people  hold  in  reverence,  and  it  is  from  these  writings  that  he 
has  been  classed  as  an  atheist.  He  had  a  great  influence  upon  the  lit- 
erature of  his  time,  and  it  is  pretty  certain  that  the  evil  part  of  it  is 
remembered  more  than  is  the  good." 

"  He  was  a  good  financier,"  said  Frank,  as  Fred  paused,  "  and  his 


2S6       THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

fortune  may  be  said  to  have  come  from  misfortune.  He  was  so  badly 
treated  iu  Paris  that  he  went  to  England  to  live  for  a  few  years.  lie 
became  a  favorite  at  the  English  court,  and  wrote  a  poem  which  he 
dedicated  to  the  Queen.  The  royal  lady  subscribed  for  the  poem,  and 
everybody  about  the  court  followed  her  example,  so  that  Voltaire  made 
forty  thousand  dollars  by  the  publication  of  his  work,  lie  returned  to 
Paris  not  long  afterwards  and  engaged  in  several  lucky  speculations, 
out  of  which  he  made  so  much  money  that  he  soon  had  an  income  of 
thirty  thousand  dollars  a  year." 

"  I  have  read  somewhere  that  he  was  a  very  generous  man,"  said 
Mrs.  Bassett.     "  Was  that  really  the  case  ?" 

"  In  his  younger  days  he  spent  money  recklessly  and  was  often  in 
debt ;  in  the  latter  part  of  his  life  he  was  more  careful  of  his  income, 
though  he  was  not  at  all  economical.  Many  stories  are  told  of  his  chai'- 
ity,  and  this  village  of  Ferney  is  an  instance  of  his  gifts  to  the  people. 
Once  he  learned  that  a  young  girl  who  was  descended  from  the  '  Grand 
Corneille '  was  living  in  poverty.  He  at  once  sent  for  her  to  come  to 
Ferney,  where  he  provided  her  with  teachers  and  gave  her  a  good  edu- 
cation, and  at  the  time  of  his  death  he  settled  upon  her  a  life  annuity  of 
fourteen  hundred  francs. 

"  He  never  failed  to  denounce  acts  of  cruelty  and  oppression,  no 
matter  where  they  occurred.  When  the  English  executed  Admiral 
Byng  because  he  was  unable,  with  the  small  fleet  at  his  command,  to 
destroy  a  French  fleet  more  powerful  than  his  own,  Voltaire  was  out- 
spoken and  earnest  in  defence  of  the  unfortunate  admiral,  who  was 
sacrificed  in  order  to  shield  the  British  ministers  from  public  odium. 
Another  instance  of  the  same  sort  was  that  of  Jean  Calas,  who  was  exe- 
cuted for  a  crime  of  which  he  was  innocent.  Voltaire  devoted  much 
time  and  effort  to  securing  a  reversal  of  the  sentence  and  a  partial  in- 
demnity to  the  family ;  and  though  he  tried  very  hard  to  have  the  per- 
secutors of  poor  Calas  punished,  he  was  unable  to  bring  them  to  justice." 

"  I  have  read  somewhere  that  his  name  wasn't  Voltaire,"  said  Mary. 

"  That  is  quite  true,"  replied  Frank :  "  his  real  name  was  Francois 
Marie  Arouet,  and  he  was  the  son  of  a  French  notary.  The  name  by 
which  he  is  known  was  an  assumed  one  which  he  made  up  himself. 

"  You  have  already  heard,"  Frank  continued,  "  that  he  disliked  Ge- 
neva and  its  people.  Some  of  his  sarcastic  savings  concerning  them 
have  been  preserved :  the  most  celebrated  is  the  one  in  allusion  to  the 
smallness  of  the  country :  '  When  I  shake  my  wig  I  powder  the  whole 
republic.'     The  Emperor  Paul,  of  Russia,  rivalled  the  wit  of  Voltaire 


ON   LAKE   LEMAK 


287 


CHURCH    BCILT    BY     TOLTAIRE. 


when  he  said,  'It  is  a  tempest  in  a  glass  of  water,'  in  reference  to  a 
threatened  revolution  in  Geneva." 

A  drive  was  taken  along  the  southern  shore  of  the  lake  as  far  as  the 
Villa  Deodati,  which  was  once  occupied  by  Lord  Byron.  Other  places 
of  interest  were  visited,  and  then  our  friends  arranged  to  proceed  by 
steamboat  to  the  other  end  of  the  lake. 

"  If  our  boat  should  happen  to  sink  under  us,"  said  Mary,  "  we  need 
not  hope  to  be  able  to  walk  ashore.  I  have  just  been  reading  that  the 
lake  is  1200  feet  deep  in  its  deepest  part,  and  from  300  to  500  feet  in 
many  places." 

"  How  long  and  wide  is  it  2"  Mrs.  Bassett  asked. 

"  It  is  fifty-five  miles  long,"  Mary  answered,  "  and  in  its  broadest 
part  is  nine  miles  across." 

"  I  wonder  if  there  is  any  good  fishing  in  the  lake  ?"  Fred  remarked. 

"  I  asked  one  of  the  boatmen  about  it,"  said  Mary,  "  and  he  told  me 
the  fishing  was  not  what  English  and  Americans  would  call  good.  He 
said  there  were  about  twenty  different  kinds  of  fish  in  the  lake,  but  none 
of  them  were  such  as  sportsmen  like  to  take." 


288 


TIIE   BOY    TRAVELLERS   IX   CENTRAL   EUROPE. 


"  Then  we  won't  go  a-fishing,"  Fred  replied.  "  I  wonder  some  enter- 
prising speculator  doesn't  come  here  with  a  proposal  to  stock  the  lake 
with  fish,  just  as  some  English  and  American  lakes  have  heen  stocked." 

''The  scheme  has  been  considered  more  than  once."  said  Frank,  "but 
the  experiment  has  not  been  made,  for  the  reason  that  there  is  httle  in 
the  lake  on  which  the  fish  could  feed.  As  well  try  to  raise  cattle  in  a 
desert  as  to  make  fish  thrive  where  there  is  nothing  for  them  to  eat." 

Fred  had  nothing  more  to  say  on  the  subject  of  stocking  Lake  Le- 
man  with  fish,  but  called  attention  to  a  lateen -rigged  sailboat  which 
was  ploughing  the  water  a  mile  or  more  from  them. 

•'  "We  can  imagine  we  are  on  the  Mediterranean."  said  Fred.  "  as 
these  graceful  sails  belong  to  that  bodv  of  water,  and  are  seen  nowhere 


STEAMBOAT     ON     LAKE     LEXIAN. 


THE  FAMOUS   BOXXIVARD. 


2S9 


^DoyWAjOA^ 


else  in  the  world  except  on  the  Al- 
pine lakes.  Even  here  the}7  are  dis- 
appearing as  well  as  on  the  Med- 
iterranean, since  the  steamboat  has 
obtained  almost  a  monopoly  of  the 
carrying  trade." 

"  This  boat  has  a  historic  name," 
said  Frank,  as  soon  as  they  were  on 
board  the  steamer  that  was  to  carry 
them  over  the  blue  waters  of  Lake 
Leman. 

"What  is  it  called?"  Mary  asked. 
"  I  might  have  seen  the  name  as  I 
came  on  board,  but  was  too  busy  with 
the  contemplation  of  the  crowd  on 
the  quay  to  notice  it." 

"  She  is  called  Bonnivard"  Frank 
replied.  "  You  know  who  Bonnivard 
was,  do  you  not  ?" 

"  Certainly,"  Mary  answered ;  "  he  was  the  celebrated  prisoner  of 
Chillon,  who  wore  away  the  stone  on  the  floor  of  his  prison  where  he 
was  for  years  chained  to  a  pillar." 

''"What  can  you  tell  about  him?" 

"He  was  born  at  Seyssel  in  1493.  and  was  brought  up  with  his 
uncle,  who  was  the  prior  of  St.  Victor,  just  outside  the  old  walls  of 
Geneva.  He  inherited  the  priory  at  his  uncle's  death,  but  from  his  six- 
teenth year  he  sympathized  with  the  people  of  Geneva  in  their  strug- 
gles with  the  Duke  of  Savoy.  When  he  was  twenty-six  yeai's  old  he 
fell  into  the  hands  of  the  duke,  and  kept  in  prison  for  two  years ;  after 
this  he  was  more  earnest  in  the  cause  of  the  Keformation.  His  second 
imprisonment  was  at  the  castle  of  Chillon,  and  lasted  for  six  years.  Fll 
tell  you  more  about  it  when  we  see  the  castle.  He  died  at  Geneva, 
where  he  spent  the  latter  part  of  his  life.  He  gave  his  library  to  the 
city,  and  it  was  the  nucleus  of  the  present  public  library  of  Geneva." 

'•  A  very  good  story,  and  well  told,"  said  Fred.  Mrs.  Bassett  smiled 
with  satisfaction  at  the  success  of  her  daughter  in  adding  to  the  interest 
of  their  journey  by  delving  into  the  history  of  the  countries  and  places 
that  they  visited.  Fred  also  complimented  Mary  on  her  knowledge  of 
the  story  of  Byron's  "  Prisoner  of  Chillon,"  and  said  he  would  certainly 
call  upon  her  for  the  rest  of  it  when  they  arrived  at  the  historic  prison. 

19 


290 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


As  the  steamer  moved  along  her  course  near  the  northern  bank  of 
the  lake,  Frank  called  the  attention  of  his  mother  and  sister  to  the 
-various  points  of  interest. 

-  Tins  is  Versoix,"  said  Frank,  as  the  steamer  reached  that  attract- 
ive-looking place.  "It  was  formerly  in  French  territory,  and  it  is  said 
that  Choiseul,  the  Minister  of  Louis  XV.,  hated  Geneva  so  bitterly  that 
he  determined  to  found  a  rival  city  at  Versoix,  and  thus  destroy  the  old 
one  by  turning  all  the  French  trade  to  the  new  place.  The  city  was 
actually  laid  out,  and  maps  were  printed  showing  the  streets,  but  the 
public  did  not  come  forward  to  buy  the  lots  and  the  speculation  failed.'' 

"  It  was  just  like  many  a  real  estate  speculation  of  the  present  day,*' 
said  Mrs.  F.assett.  "  If  a  historian  of  this  part  of  the  world  wishes  for 
modern  examples,  he  could  find  enough  of  them  in  the  United  States.-' 

"  And  he  need  not  go  farther  than  the  neighborhood  of  New  York 
and  I5oston  to  find  them,"  Frank  remarked. 

There  was  further  conversation  on  the  subject  of  town  sites  and 
speculations ;  then  the  beauty  of  the  shore  of  Lake  Leman,  the  won- 
derful blue  of  the  water,  the  view  of  the  range  of  the  Alps  and  of  the 


BYRON'S    VILLA.  DEODATI. 


NECKER  AXD   HIS  FAMOUS  DAUGHTER. 


291 


mountains  that  lay  nearer  to  the  lake  absorbed  the  attention  of  the 
travellers.  So  intent  were  they  upon  it  that  they  almost  missed  seeing 
Coppet,  which  was  once  the  home  of  Necker,  the  famous  banker  of 
Paris,  who  became  Minister  of  Finance  under  Louis  XVI. 

"I  read  about  Necker,"  said  Mary.  "He  was  the  father  of  Madame 
de  Stael,  who  was  the  first  literary  woman  of  the  time  in  which  she 
lived.  She  lived  a  long  time  at  Cop- 
pet,  and  died  in  1817,  thirteen  years 
after  her  father's  death.  Both  of 
them  are  buried  in  the  chapel  which 
is  in  that  clump  of  trees  just  west  of 
the  castle. 

"  She  was  one  of  the  women  who 
made  the  salon  famous  in  Paris,''  the 
girl  continued.  "  She  returned  from 
Switzerland  to  Paris  in  1797,  and  was 
bitterly  opposed  to  Napoleon  I.  Her 
salon  was  the  resort  of  his  oppo- 
nents, and  the  Emperor  tried  to 
bribe  her  by  offering  to  pay  a  large 
sum  of  money  which  had  long  been 
due  her  father  on  the  condition  that 
she  would  cease  her  opposition.  She 
indignantly  refused  his  offer,  and  was 
thereupon  expelled  from  Paris  and 
afterwards  from  France." 

""What  a  brute  the  Emperor  must  have  been,  and  what  a  coward, 
too,"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Bassett,  "to  be  afraid  of  a  woman,  and  drive  her 
from  the  country !" 

"  He  may  have  been  a  brute,"  replied  Frank  ;  "  but,  after  all,  he  only 
acted  prudently.  Madame  de  Stael  was  a  woman  of  great  influence 
and  of  unusual  abilities.  She  would  make  no  terms  with  Xapoleon, 
openly  announced  her  distrust  and  detestation  of  him,  undermined  his 
power  in  every  way  that  was  open  to  her,  and  was  altogether  objection- 
able from  an  emperor's  point  of  view." 

"  I  didn't  think  of  that,"  said  Mrs.  Bassett,  as  Frank  paused.  ,-  Well, 
after  all,  Xapoleon  paid  a  great  compliment  to  women  ivhen  he  ac- 
knowledged, by  driving  this  lady  out  of  France,  that  he  was  afraid  of 
one  of  them." 

The  steamer  passed  Xyon  and  Rolle  and  Morges,  each  of  Avhich 


MADAME    DE    STAEL. 


292 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


was  pointed  out  by  Frank  with  whatever  comment  he  considered  es- 
sential. As  they  approached  Ouchy,  Frank  said  the  place  had  a  literary 
importance,  as  it  was  there,  in  the  Anchor  Hotel,  that  Byron  wrote  one 
of  his  famous  poems,  "  The  Prisoner  of  Chillon." 

"  That  is  the  poem  we  were  talking  about  a  little  while  ago,"  said  Mary. 

"  Yes,"  responded  Frank,  "  and  it  is  probable  that  a  considerable 
part  of  the  third  canto  of  '  Ohilde  Harold'  was  written  in  the  same 
place,  or  at  the  Yilla  Deodati,  which  you  already  know  of.  Byron 
spent  about  a  year  in  the  vicinity  of  Geneva,  lie  was  greatly  charmed 
with  the  lake,  and  it  is  mentioned  quite  often  in  the  poetry  that  he 
composed  while  in  this  region." 

'■  There  is  more  literary  interest  here,"  said  Fred,  "  than  what  you 
have  just  mentioned.  Do  you  see  that  picturesque  town  on  the  hill 
above  Ouchy  ?" 

Of  course  it  was  visible  to  all,  and  they  promptly  said  so. 

"Well,"  continued  Fred,  addressing  himself  more  particularly  to 
Mrs.  Bassett  and  Mary  than  to  his  cousin  Frank,  "  up  there  is  Lausanne, 
Avhich  stands  on  the  site  of  the  Boman  Lausonium  ;  the  principal  hotel 
there  is  the  Gibbon,  and  it  takes  its  name  from  the  famous  historian 
who  wrote  The  Decline  and  Fall  of  the  Roman  Empire.     It  was  in 

the  garden  in  the 


rear  of  the  hotel 
that  the  closing 
lines  of  the  great 
history  were  writ- 
ten." 

"How  long 
was  he  occupied 
with  the  histo- 
ry;" Mrs.  Bassett 
asked. 

'•  He  began  it 
in  1704.  or  soon 
after."  said  Fred, 
'•  and  completed 
it  in  June,  17S7. 

Consequently,  he  was  occupied  with  it  for  more  than  twenty  years." 
■•  No  wonder  it  was  a  very  important  event  for  him  when  he  wrote 

the  closing  lines.     And  the  history  has  been  a  very  important  work  for 

the  world,  has  it  not?*' 


LAUSANNE. 


AN   ANECDOTE   OF  GIBBON. 


293 


VILLA    OF    THE    EMPRESS    JOSEPHINE. 


"  Some  of  the  critics  have  pronounced  it  the  most  important  literary 
work  of  modern  times.  One  writer  says  it  is  'the  greatest  achievement 
of  human  thought  and  erudition  in  the  department  of  history;'  another 
says, '  it  is  virtually  a  history  of  the  world  for  thirteen  centuries,  dur- 
ing which  paganism  was  breaking  down  and  Christianity  was  supersed- 
ing it.' " 

Then  Fred  told  a  story  about  Gibbon  which  brought  a  smile  to  the 
faces  of  his  friends.  According  to  the  anecdote  Gibbon  was  a  great 
"ladies'  man,"  and  paid  court  to  all  the  beauties  whom  he  met.  In 
the  latter  part  of  his  life  he  was  very  stout,  and  one  day  when  he 
was  declaring  his  admiration  for  one  of  the  belles  of  Lausanne  he  fell 
on  his  knees  before  her.  She  ordered  him  to  rise,  and  he  endeavored 
to  obey,  but  could  not  on  account  of  his  weight.  The  lady  was  obliged 
to  ring  a  bell  and  summon  the  servants  to  set  the  illustrious  historian 
upon  his  feet  once  more. 


294 


THE   BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN   CENTRAL   EUROPE. 


CHAPTER    XVH. 

VEVAV.-  GRAVES  OF  THE  REGICIDES.  — SCENES  IN"  TOE  MARKET.— MARYS  NEW 
HAT— WINE-MAKING  IN  CANTON  VAUD.—  GATHERING  THE  GRAPES.— WINE- 
PRESSING.— THE  GREAT  TUX.— CEREMONIAL  FESTIVAL  IN  GOOD  SEASONS.— SE- 
LECTION OF  BACCHUS.—  HAUTEVILLE  AND  BLONAY.— CASTLES  FOR  RENT.— 
GHOSTS  FREE  OF  CHARGE.— LEGENDS  OF  THE  CASTLE.— HOW  A  LOVER  WON  A 
BRIDE  —HISTORY  OF  CANTON  VAUD.— LOUIS  AGASSIZ.— EXCURSION  TO  CHILLOX. 
—POETICAL  RECITATIONS.— THE  POET'S  LICENSE.— CLARENS  AND  MONTREUX.— 
FACTS  CONCERNING  BOXXIVARD  AND  HIS  FAMILY.— THE  DUNGEON"  OF  SEVEN" 
PILLARS. 


OUR  friends  left  the  steamer  at  Yevay.     Frank  had  telegraphed  for 
rooms  at  the  Hotel  des  Trois  Couronnes  (Three  Crowns  Hotel), 
which  is  close  to  the  landing-place,  and  has  a  fine  view  of  the  lake  and 

the  mountains  beyond  it.  The  dis- 
tance from  Yevay  to  the  eastern 
end  of  the  lake  is  only  a  few  miles, 
and  the  mountains  form  a  semicircle 
which  seems  to  shut  out  all  possibil- 
ity of  travel  beyond  them.  Yevay 
and  its  vicinity  are  a  favorite  resort 
of  English  and  Americans,  and  the 
hotels  and  boarding-houses  scat- 
tered through  this  region  are  in 
great  number  and  suited  to  all  va- 
rieties of  purse.  The  hotel  tariffs 
are  highest  in  summer,  when  the 
travel  is  greatest ;  with  the  cominsr 
of  autumn  the  hotels  are  turned 
into  pensions  (boarding-houses),  and 
the  prices  are  greatly  reduced  from 
the  summer  figures. 

Several  days  were  passed  here 

very  pleasantly.    There  were  drives 

swiss  railway  skrvant.  through  the   surrounding  country, 


LIFE  AT  YEVAY.  295 

visits  to  old  churches  and  chateaux,  and  a  glance   at   the  vineyards, 
■which  are  numerous  and  productive. 

Mrs.  Bassett  was  particularly  interested  in  the  Church  of  St.  Martin, 
which  is  said  to  have  been  erected  in  1198,  and  contains  the  tombs  of 
the  regicides,  Ludlow  and  Broughton.  According  to  history,  Broughton 
was  the  one  who  read  the  sentence  of  death  to  King  Charles  I.  of  Eng- 
land. As  to  Ludlow,  it  is  said  that  his  republicanism  was  of  the  purest 
kind,  and  that  he  opposed  with  great  earnestness  the  ambitious  schemes 
of  Oliver  Cromwell.  On  the  restoration  of  Charles  II.  to  the  throne 
the  extradition  of  the  two  refugees  was  demanded,  but  the  Swiss  Gov- 
ernment refused  to  surrender  them.  Charles  sent  an  assassin  who  killed 
one  of  them,  but  left  the  other  to  die  peacefully  in  bed. 

After  the  church  had  been  duly  inspected  our  friends  strolled  to  and 
through  the  market-place,  which  Fred  described  as  abounding  in  quaint 
sights.  Provisions  are  sold  under  a  roof,  which  is  supported  on  pillars. 
The  market  building  is  open  on  all  sides  to  the  winds,  which  are  pleasant 
enough  in  summer,  but  not  always  agreeable  in  autumn  and  winter. 
But  the  building  is  not  sufficient  for  all  the  business  of  the  place,  and  a 
considerable  amount  of  dealing  goes  on  under  the  tents,  or  beneath  the 
trees  outside,  or  even  without  any  sort  of  protection.  Some  of  the 
farmers  who  have  come  to  the  market  dispose  of  their  goods  directly 
from  their  wagons,  but  they  do  not  succeed  in  evading  the  tax  which  is 
levied  on  all  sales,  and  these  are  carefully  watched  by  the  guardians  of 
the  market. 

Mrs.  Bassett  and  her  daughter  were  interested  in  looking  at  the  cos- 
tumes of  the  women  in  the  market-place.  Some  of  them  were  quite  pict- 
uresque, but  for  the  most  part  they  seemed  a  reproduction  of  what  they 
had  seen  under  similar  circumstances  in  France  and  Germany.  Most  of 
the  women  wore  straw  hats  to  shield  them  from  the  sun.  Mary  saw 
some  hats  for  sale  in  the  market,  and  was  surprised  to  find  that  the  price 
was  only  half  a  franc  (ten  cents).  She  bought  one  in  haste,  lest  the 
price  should  be  advanced,  and  carried  her  purchase  home  in  triumph. 
Afterwards  she  trimmed  it  with  a  few  bright  ribbons,  which  she  un- 
earthed from  the  recesses  of  her  trunk,  and  made  a  head-covering  of 
which  she  was  quite  proud.  "And  to  think,"  said  she,  "that  it  cost 
only  ten  cents  for  the  hat  and  forty  cents  for  the  ribbons!  I  shall  take 
it  home  to  America,  and  it  will  certainly  rouse  the  envy  of  some  of  my 
friends." 

"  We  were  too  early  for  the  vintage,"  said  Mary,  in  her  account  of 
their  stay  at  Yevay,  "  but  we  had  an  excellent  opportunity  to  see  the 


290 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


MARKET-PLACE    AT    VEVAY. 


vinevards,  and  we  bought  in  the  market  some  of  the  early  varieties  of 
grapes.  In  the  season  when  the  grapes  are  ripe  on  the  vines  and  the 
vintage  is  in  progress  there  is  a  good  deal  of  activity  all  along  this  part 
of  the  shore  of  the  lake.  The  day  for  the  commencement  of  the  vin- 
tage is  fixed  by  the  authorities  of  each  commune,  and  nobody  is  allowed 
to  gather  any  grapes  before  that  time  except  for  eating  purposes,  and, 
on  the  other  hand,  he  is  not  permitted  to  put  off  his  part  of  the  work  till 
a  later  date.  It  seemed  to  me  that  this  was  a  very  severe  regulation, 
but  Frank  explains  it  in  this  way  : 

"  '  A  great  deal  of  the  labor  of  the  vintage  is  performed  in  common. 
The  owner  of  every  little  patch  of  grapes  cannot  afford  to  have  presses 
and  vats  of  his  own.  and  so  the  grapes  are  "  pooled  "  (as  an  American 
speculator  would  say),  the  work  is  performed  by  all  parties  concerned, 
and  the  wine  is  divided  according  to  the  amount  of  grapes  and  labor 
that  each  one  has  contributed.' 


GATHERING    GRAPES     NEAR    TEVAY. 


298        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

"  Mamma  says  the  same  thing  is  clone  in  some  parts  of  the  New 
England  States,  where  the  people  in  a  neighborhood  put  their  apples 
into  a  similar  'pool1  for  the  purpose  of  making  cider.  The  custom  is 
said  to  be  a  very  ancient  one  here — in  fact,  most  of  the  customs  con- 
nected with  the  vintage  are  very  old,  some  of  them  dating  as  far  back 
as  the  time  of  the  Romans ;  and,  speaking  of  the  Romans,  reminds  me 
of  something  that  I  heard  to-day. 

"  Here  at  Vevay  they  have  a  custom,  when  the  yield  of  wine  has 
been  unusually  good,  of  making  a  grand  celebration,  that  is  said  to  have 
originated  in  the  time  when  the  Romans  had  possession  of  the  country. 
Unfortunately  for  the  festival,  the  vintage  is  rarely  up  to  the  standard 
that  induces  the  owners  of  the  vineyards  to  celebrate  it,  and  certainly 
there  is  no  prospect  of  one  this  season.  It  would  take  too  much  space  to 
tell  all  about  it,  and,  besides,  I  have  no  good  description  of  the  festival  to 
refer  to.  The  preparations  are  very  elaborate.  The  great  feature  of  the 
affair  is  a  grand  procession,  in  which  numerous  characters  of  mythology 
are  represented.  The  largest  and  fattest  man  in  the  community  is  se- 
lected to  represent  the  god  Bacchus,  and  sometimes  when  there  is  no- 
body among  the  wine-makers  who  can  properly  represent  the  character 
they  send  somewhere  else  and  hire  a  suitable  person. 

"  The  festival  costs  a  considerable  amount  of  money,  and  the  hotel- 
keepers  contribute  freely  to  it,  as  it  brings  them  a  large  amount  of  busi- 
ness. At  the  last  celebration  of  this  sort  it  is  said  that  fifty  thousand 
people  came  to  Vevay  to  attend  it. 

"  We  saw  one  of  the  wine-presses  that  they  use  here  ;  it  was  a  prim- 
itive affair,  and  made  me  think  of  the  old  cider-mill  which  I  saw  up  in 
New  Hampshire  the  last  time  I  was  there.  The  grapes  are  cut  from 
the  vines,  and  the  bunches  are  thrown  into  shallow  tubs,  where  they  are 
crushed  ami  broken  by  pestles  in  the  hands  of  strong  men  or  women. 
Then  these  tubs  are  carried  to  wagons  containing  large  casks,  and  the 
contents  are  poured  into  these  casks  and  driven  off  to  the  village,  where 
the  wine-press  is  ready  for  its  work.  The  wine-press  is  like  a  great  tub, 
without  top  or  bottom ;  there  are  cracks  between  the  staves  of  the  tub, 
and  its  contents  rest  on  a  large  stone  or  block  of  wood.  An  iron  screw 
forces  down  the  top  of  the  press ;  the  screw  is  turned  by  means  of  a 
horizontal  bar  to  which  a  rope  is  attached,  and  this  rope  is  wound  around 
an  upright  post  that  is  turned  by  men  pushing  against  handles  like  those 
of  a  turnstile,  and  they  have  to  push  very  hard. 

"  A  tub  catches  the  juice  which  runs  from  the  press,  and  this  juice  is 
carried  away  to  the  cellars.  Avhere  it  is  placed  in  great  tuns  to  be  fer- 


300  THE   BOY   TRAVELLERS   IX    CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

mented.  We  went  into  a  cellar  and  saw  some  of  these  tuns,  but  though 
they  are  very  large  the}'  are  no  comparison  to  the  Great  Tun  of  Heidel- 
berg that  you've  heard  about.  The  Heidelberg  tun  is  36  feet  long  and 
24  feet  high,  and  is  said  to  have  a  capacity  of  800  hogsheads.  But  you 
shouldn't  expect  to  find  anything  approaching  that  size  in  this  country, 
as  Switzerland  is  very  much  smaller  than  Germany. 

"  Some  of  the  enterprising  wine-makers  have  introduced  the  Ameri- 
can wine-press,  which  is  claimed  to  be  more  economical  than  the  old- 
fashioned  one,  but  the  people  here  are  slow  to  adopt  new  ideas,  and  the 
American  innovation  is  not  popular. 

"  The  new  wine,  before  it  is  fermented,  is  sold  in  the  restaurants 
and  wine-shops;  it  holds  the  same  relation  to  the  wine  of  commerce 
that  sweet  cider  does  to  the  manufactured  and  bottled  article.  They 
get  two  or  three  grades  of  juice  from  the  grapes,  and  these  grades  are 
kept  carefully  apart  from  each  other.  The  first  grade  is  that  which 
runs  from  the  broken  grapes  before  they  have  been  pressed  ;  the  second 
is  that  which  is  brought  out  by  the  press ;  and  the  third  is  what  is  se- 
cured when  the  grape  cake  is  shaken  up  for  a  second  pressure  and 
moistened  with  water.  There  is  plenty  of  water  in  the  lake,  and  the 
wine-makers  have  no  occasion  to  be  economical  in  using  it ;  the  result  is 
that  the  third  grade  of  wine  is  usually  of  a  very  watery  character,  and 
Frank  says  it  might  be  warranted  to  do  no  harm  to  one  who  doesn't 
drink  it  or  look  upon  it  when  it  is  red. 

'•  In  seasons  when  grapes  are  plenty  the  owner  of  a  vineyard  will 
permit  a  stranger  to  eat  all  he  may  desire  on  payment  of  half  a  franc, 
provided  the  stranger  does  his  own  picking.  But  it  will  not  do  to  take 
a  single  grape  without  permission,  as  there  is  a  heavy  fine  provided  by 
law  for  all  trespassing  of  this  sort.  Probably  the  law  was  passed  from 
necessity,  and  to  protect  the  owners  of  the  vineyards  from  the  depreda- 
tions of  small  boys  and  others.  A  gentleman  who  spent  several  weeks 
here  says  that  when  boys  pass  through  a  vineyard  the  watchers  require 
them  to  hold  their  hands  high  in  air  as  proof  that  they  are  not  help- 
ing themselves.  They  tell  a  story  of  a  boy  who  whittled  a  false  arm 
and  hand  out  of  wood,  so  that  he  could  walk  through  a  vineyard  and 
keep  the  word  of  promise  to  the  eye  while  he  broke  it  to  the  hope. 

"  Yesterday  Frank  suggested  that  we  would  visit  a  castle.  I  thought 
he  said  Blarney  Castle,  and  told  him  we  saw  that  when  we  were  in  Ire- 
land, and.  furthermore.  I  didn't  believe  the  Swiss  had  ever  heard  the 
Avord  '  blarney'  in  their  lives.  He  then  said  it  was  Blonay  and  not  Blar- 
ney of  which  he  was  speaking,  and  that  the  property  had  been  in  the 


BLONAY   CASTLE. 


301 


possession  of  the  family  of  that  name  ever  since  the  time  of  the  Cru- 
sades, with  the  exception  of  occasional  intervals  when  they  were  driven 
out  in  consequence  of  war  and  had  to  go  elsewhere. 

"  Of  course  we  were  willing  enough  to  see  the  castle,  and  were  ready 
when  he  gave  the  signal  to  start  for  the  excursion. 

"  We  had  a  delightful  drive  of  about  four  miles  before  we  reached 
Blonay.  We  stopped  on  the  way  to  see  the  chateau  of  Hauteville,  which 
has  a  fine  park  around  it,  and  gave  us  a  charming  and  extensive  view  of 
the  country  and  the  lake  and  the  mountains  in  the  distance.  Blonay  is 
higher  up  than  Hauteville.  It  is  in  very  good  condition — so  good,  in 
fact,  that  the  family  lived  there  until  quite  recently,  and  of  late  years 
has  rented  it  out  to  any  one  willing  to  hire  it. 

"  It  is  now  without  a  tenant,  and  the  man  in  charge  of  it  was  anx- 
ious to  know  at  once  whether  we  had  come  with  a  view  to  renting  the 
chateau  or  were  merely  attracted  by  curiosity.  We  disappointed  him, 
perhaps,  when  we  told  him  we  were  not  looking  for  lodgings,  but  Frank 
consoled  him  with  a  liberal  fee  for  showing  us  around. 


EATING    GRAPES. 


302        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

"It  would  be  very  romantic,  no  doubt,  to  live  in  a  castle,  but  after 
what  I  saw  of  the  place  I  should  prefer  a  modern  house  in  Paris  or 
New  York.  It  would  be  very  lonesome  there  unless  there  was  a  very 
large  family  to  occupy  it.  I  wouldn't  care  to  sit  down  with  two  or 
three  others  to  breakfast  in  the  great  round  dining-room,  or  to  dine 
there  unless  Ave  were  at  least  fifteen  or  twenty  at  table.  The  corridors 
where  the  sleeping-rooms  are  echo  to  your  footfalls.  The  rooms  are  so 
large,  the  most  of  them,  that  the  ordinary  amount  of  furniture  for  a 
sleeping-room  seems  very  lonesome,  and  just  enough  to  make  one  wish 
for  more.  Some  of  the  furniture  is  very  old — perhaps  five  or  six  cen- 
turies— and  some  is  of  the  present  time.  Frank  says  there  are  speci- 
mens of  furniture  from  every  period  since  the  Crusades,  and  some  of 
even  earlier  date ;  and  I'm  sure  he's  not  far  out  of  the  way. 

"  In  one  room  there  was  a  couch  that  was  made  long  before  the 
birth  of  Columbus,  and  on  the  other  side  of  the  room  was  a  modern  bed 
with  a  spring  mattress.  How  it  would  astonish  some  of  the  tenants  of 
this  place  during  the  Crusades  if  they  could  revisit  the  castle  and  in- 
spect its  belongings  as  they  now  are  ! 

"And  this  reminds  me  that  the  castle  is  said  to  be  haunted  by 
ghosts — at  least,  that's  what  the  driver  of  the  carriage  told  us,  though 
the  custodian  of  the  place  denied  that  there  was  ever  a  ghost  in  the 
place.  Haunted  houses  are  not  in  demand  here  any  more  than  in  other 
parts  of  the  world,  and  the  custodian  knew  that,  even  though  the  place 
might  be  crammed  full  of  spooks,  he  must  never  admit  the  existence  of 
anything  of  the  kind.  We  kept  a  sharp  eye  out  for  disembodied  spirits, 
but  saw  none.  "While  we  were  in  the  lower  rooms  I  saw  a  pair  of  eyes 
staring  in  the  gloom,  and  thought  we  had  come  at  last  on  one  of  the 
ghostly  inhabitants.  I  called  Frank's  attention  to  the  eyes,  and  he 
stopped  and  asked  the  custodian  about  them. 

" '  That  is  no  ghost,'  he  said ;  '  it's  only  a  cat  that  wanders  about 
the  place  night  and  day,  and  keeps  it  clear  from  rats.' 

"  Of  course  the  castle  has  had  its  share  of  sieges  and  captm-es. 
Once  it  was  saved  by  the  quickness  of  a  girl,  who  saw  some  soldiers 
approaching  the  place  just  at  dusk  in  a  time  of  profound  peace.  They 
had  landed  from  the  Savoy  side  of  the  lake  early  in  the  morning  and 
lain  concealed  during  the  day.  Their  object  was  to  take  the  castle  by 
surprise ;  and  they  would  have  done  so  but  for  the  girl,  who  shrewdly 
surmised  that  their  intentions  were  hostile.  She  called  out  to  the  man 
on  watch  to  close  the  gate  instantly,  which  he  did.  The  would-be  as- 
sailants revenged  themselves  by  carrying  the  girl  with  them  in  their 


304        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IX  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

retreat,  but  as  soon  as  they  reached  their  commander  he  ordered  her 
release,  and  praised  her  for  her  devotion  to  her  master,  the  Baron  of 
Bkraay. 

"  We  heard  another  story  which  is  quite  romantic,  though  not  by 
any  means  unlike  other  stories  that  have  come  down  to  us  from  antiq- 
uity. You  will  doubtless  surmise  that  it  is  a  love-story,  and  your  sur- 
mise is  correct.     Here  it  is : 

"  Two  hundred  years  ago  there  was  in  the  castle  the  beautiful  Xic- 
olaide  de  Blonay,  the  daughter  of  the  baron  who  was  then  in  power. 
The  lady  was  so  beautiful  and  rich  that  she  attracted  admirers  from  all 
the  country  around,  but  she  turned  a  deaf  ear  and  blind  eye  to  all  of 
them,  with  the  exception  of  one  Tavel  de  Villars ;  and  even  he  was 
obliged  to  propose  several  times  before  he  was  accepted.  He  was  a 
military  gentleman,  and  just  after  he  had  been  accepted  he  was  called 
away  to  service  in  the  army  of  France. 

"  The  fair  lady  had  another  suitor,  and  he  improved  the  opportunity 
to  press  his  suit  during  his  rival's  absence.  His  name  was  Jean  Fran- 
cois de  Blonay.  He  belonged  to  the  Savoyard  branch  of  the  family,  and 
was  a  cousin  of  the  lady  whose  hand  he  sought.  He  made  two  appeals 
to  her,  but  both  times  in  vain,  as  she  refused  him,  just  as  the  fair  lady 
usually  does  in  stories  of  this  kind.  But  he  determined  that  she  should 
be  his  bride,  and  so  he  assembled  his  friends  and  followers  and  concealed 
himself  with  them  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  castle.  They  waited  pa- 
tiently for  several  days  until  the  baron  had  occasion  to  go  away  to 
hunt  same,  visit  a  neighboring  castle,  or  attend  a  political  caucus.  Then 
they  passed  through  the  gate,  sought  the  fair  Xicolaide,  and  carried  her 
away  to  Savo\r,  where  she  soon  became  the  wife  of  the  man  who  had 
so  zealously  sought  and  captured  her. 

'•  The  story  does  not  end  here.  The  once-accepted  suitor.  Tavel  de 
Villars,  came  back  from  the  Avars,  and  was  not  at  all  pleased  to  find  that 
the  lady  was  his  no  longer.  Then  arose  a  bitter  quarrel  between  the 
families  of  Tavel  and  Blonay ;  and  it  became  so  great  a  quarrel  that  the 
French  and  Italian  ambassadors  took  part  in  it.  The  influence  of  these 
foreign  representatives  was  so  powerful  that  they  induced  the  Swiss 
Government  to  pronounce  a  sentence  against  the  Blonays,  in  which  the 
old  baron  was  severely  censured  for  permitting  his  daughter  to  be  car- 
ried away  in  the  manner  described.  The  sentence  also  included  the 
runaways,  but  as  they  were  living  in  Savoy,  which  was  out  of  the  Swiss 
jurisdiction,  they  were  not  at  all  troubled  by  it. 

"  There ;  I  think  I've  done  pretty  well  in  writing  about  Vevay  and 


CANTON  VAUD. 


305 


its  neighborhood.  I've  read  these  pages  over  to  Frank,  and  he  says 
they  are  all  right,  and  if  he  had  not  known  they  were  mine  he  would 
have  supposed  Fred  wrote  them.  That's  praise  enough  for  me  ;  but  it's 
just  possible  Fred  may  not  appreciate  the  compliment  as  I  do." 

Mary  omitted  to  mention  that  Vevay  is  in  Canton  Vaud,  which  is 


A    GROUP    OF    TAUDOIS. 


one  of  the  French-speaking  cantons  of  Switzerland,  the  language  being 
known  as  the  Vaudois  dialect.  The  religion  is  Protestant,  and  the  Gov- 
ernment is  much  like  that  of  Geneva,  every  citizen  twenty-three  years 
of  age  having  the  right  to  vote.  Vaud  was  a  prosperous  region  in  the 
time  of  the  Romans.  After  the  fall  of  the  Roman  Empire  it  became  a 
part  of  the  kingdom  of  Burgundy,  and  later  on  it  was  for  a  long  time  a 
dependency  of  Savoy.  In  1536  it  fell  under  the  control  of  the  Govern- 
ment at  Berne,  which  held  it  UDtil  the  French  invasion  at  the  end  of  the 
last  century.  The  Berne  Government  ruled  the  Vaud  district  through 
its  aristocracy,  the  common  people  having  very  little  power.  The  aris- 
tocratic rule  continued  till  1S30,  when  a  mob  assembled  at  Lausanne, 


306        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

the  capital  of  the  canton,  and  compelled  the  granting  of  a  liberal  char- 
ter, by  which  every  respectable  citizen  became  entitled  to  a  vote. 

While  investigating  this  subject  Frank  learned  that  the  elections 
were  always  held  on  Sunday,  through  fear  that  the  people  would  not 
leave  their  employments  and  give  attention  to  politics  on  any  working- 
da}'  of  the  week.  This  speaks  well  for  the  industry  of  the  Swiss,  and 
the  Yaudois  are  certainly  among  the  most  industrious  of  the  people  of 
this  little  republic.  Frank  also  learned  that  they  are  so  well  educated 
that  they  send  out  great  numbers  of  teachers  and  governesses,  who  are 
found  in  all  parts  of  the  civilized  world. 

"Apropos  of  this,"  said  Fred,  "the  great  naturalist,  Louis  Agassiz, 
of  whom  America  is  so  justly  proud,  was  a  native  of  this  canton.  Did 
you  ever  see  or  hear  the  lines  which  were  read  at  the  dinner  given  to 
Agassiz  on  his  fiftieth  birthday  '.  I  may  not  give  them  correctly,  as  I 
quote  from  memory  : 

"It  was  fifty  years  ago, 

In  the  pleasant  month  of  May, 
In  the  beautiful  Pays  de  Vaud, 
A  child  in  its  cradle  lay. 

"And  Nature,  the  old  nurse,  took 
The  child  upon  her  knee. 
Saying,  'Here  is  a  story-book 
Thy  father  made  for  thee.'" 

"Yes."'  replied  Frank;  "I  recall  the  lines,  which  contain  a  bit  of 
•poetic  license.*  Agassiz  was  born  at  Motiers  Travel's,  in  Canton  Fri- 
bourg.  May  28,  1807,  and  he  was  the  son  of  a  Protestant  clergyman, 
whose  forefathers  for  six  generations  had  held  the  position  of  pastor 
of  the  Protestant  parish  of  Motiers  Travers.  His  mother  was  the 
daughter  of  a  physician  residing  at  Cudrefin.  in  Canton  Vaud,  and  this 
was  sufficient  to  justify  the  poet  in  locating  the  child's  cradle  in  the 
canton  that  was  its  mother's  old  home.  You  see.  Fribourg  isn't  a  good 
word  to  use  in  poetry:  it  doesn't  rhyme  well,  while  Vaud  rhymes  with 
go,  hoe.  blow.  crow,  dough,  woe — " 

••  Stop  !  stop  !"  exclaimed  Fred  ;  "  there  are  probably  fifty  words 
that  rhyme  with  Yaud.  and  we  don't  want  to  hear  them  all  just  yet. 
Tell  us  more  about  Professor  Agassiz." 

••  Very  early  in  his  youth  he  became  interested  in  natural  science, 
and  began  to  collect  specimens.  His  first  collection  of  fishes  dates  from 
his  school-davs  at  Biel.  where  he  was  sent  when  ten  years  old  to  be 


CHAT   ABOUT   AGASSIZ. 


307 


educated.  He  studied  medicine  at  the  earnest  wish  of  his  parents,  and 
received  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine  when  he  was  twenty-two 
years  old.  Meantime  he  had  given  much  attention  to  natural  science, 
especially  to  icthyology,  and  he  published,  during  his  twenty -first  year, 
a  volume  describing  the  fishes  that  had  been  brought  from  Brazil  by  a 
German  scientific  expedition. 

"  He  spent  two  years  in  Paris,  and  then  became  Professor  of  Natural 
History  i-n  the  college  at  Neufchatel,  where  he  remained  until  he  came 
to  the  United  States  in  1816.  During  that  period  he  published  several 
volumes  concerning  the  fossil  fishes  of  the  world,  and  at  the  same  time 
made  observations  on  the  glaciers  of  Switzerland,  which  were  published 
in  two  volumes,  and  were  the  first  careful  studies  of  the  glaciers  that 
had  ever  been  made.  He  went  to 
the  United  States  in  1846  on  a  visit, 
which  was  intended  to  be  of  a  few 
months  only,  but  he  was  so  warmly 
received  that  he  determined  to  make 
the  Western  Hemisphere  his  home. 
For  an  account  of  his  career  in 
America  you  have  only  to  ask  any 
man  of  science,  or  any  one  who  has 
been  a  student  in  Cambridge,  Mas- 
sachusetts, for  the  last  fifty  years. 
Cambridge  and  its  near  neighbor, 
Boston,  hold  the  great  scientist  in 
affectionate  memory,  and  never  fail 
to  sound  his  praises  when  the  occa- 
sion offers." 

The  Castle  of  Chillon  is  some  six 
or  eight  miles  to  the  east  of  Yevay, 
and  was  one  of  the  sights  which 
our  friends  had  placed  on  their  list. 

One  morning  there  was  a  gentle  breeze  from  the  west,  and  Frank  pro- 
posed that  they  should  take  advantage  of  it  to  make  their  excursion  to 
Chillon  and  its  immediate  neighborhood. 

"  We  will  go  by  sailboat,"  said  he,  "  and  will  have  an  easy  run  before 
the  wind.  Then  we  will  let  the  boatman  take  us  to  Yilleneuve.  a  mile 
and  a  half  farther  on,  and  from  Yilleneuve  we  can  return  by  train  to 
Yevay  and  be  back  by  dinner-time." 

"Do  you  know,"  said  Mary,  "  that  I  was  going  to  propose  that  very 


LOCIS    AGASSIZ. 


308        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

scheme — boat,  Villeneuve,  train,  and  all.  I  thought  of  it  as  soon  as  I 
looked  out  of  the  window  and  saw  that  the  wind  was  from  the  west." 

"It's  a  trite  saying  that  great  minds  think  alike,"  Fred  remarked, 
seeing  that  Frank  hesitated  in  his  reply  to  Mary's  suggestion.  "  I  con- 
fess that  I  didn't  think  of  it  at  all,  as  I  was  busy  about  something 
else,  and  laying  plans  for  our  next  move." 

Mrs.  Bassett  and  Mary  equipped  themselves  with  veils  and  parasols 
to  protect  their  faces  from  the  effect  of  the  sun  on  the  water,  but  the 
boys  did  not  take  any  trouble  of  that  sort,  as  they  did  not  mind  a  little 
blistering  of  their  faces  in  the  cause  of  sight-seeing  on  Lake  Leman. 
The  party  had  a  very  pleasant  sail  of  an  hour  and  more,  the  boat 
hugging  the  shore,  by  Frank's  direction,  so  as  to  give  them  a  view  of 
Clarens  and  Montreux,  which  are  the  favorite  resorts  of  a  great  many 
English  and  American  visitors  to  Switzerland,  especially  of  those  mak- 
ing a  prolonged  stay. 

As  they  sailed  along  over  the  waters  which  have  been  the  theme  of 
poets  for  many  centuries,  Fred  repeated  the  well-known  lines  of  Byron, 
in  the  third  canto  of  "Childe  Harold  :" 

"Clear,  placid  Lemau!  thy  contrasted  lake, 

With  the  wild  world  I  dwelt  in,  is  a  thing 

Which  warns  me,  with  its  stillness,  to  forsake 

Earth's  troubled  waters  for  a  purer  spring. 

This  quiet  sail  is  as  a  noiseless  wing 

To  waft  me  from  distraction;  once  I  loved 

Torn  ocean's  roar,  but  thy  soft  murmuring 

Sounds  sweet  as  if  a  Sister's  voice  reproved, 
That  I  with  stern  delights  should  e'er  have  been  so  moved." 

As  they  passed  Clarens,  Frank  recalled  the  lines,  also  of  Byron,  that 
describe  the  spot  which  Rousseau  had  made  famous  in  one  of  his  stories : 

"Clarens!  sweet  Clarens,  birthplace  of  deep  Love, 

Thine  air  is  the  young  breath  of  passionate  thought, 

Thy  trees  take  root  in  Love  ;  the  snows  above 

The  very  Glaciers  have  his  colors  caught, 

And  sunset  into  rose-hues  sees  them  wrought 

By  rays  which  sleep  there  lovingly:  the  rocks, 

The  permanent  crags,  tell  here  of  Love,  who  sought 

In  them  a  refuge  from  the  worldly  shocks. 
Which  stir  and  sting  the  soul  with  hope  that  woos,  then  mocks." 

"  I  must  contribute  something  to  the  poetry  of  the  occasion,"  said 
Mary.     "  What  shall  it  be  ?" 


BYRON'S  SONNET  ON  CHILLON. 


309 


A    FIELD    NEAR    CLAIIENS. 


"  "We  are  approaching  the  Castle  of  Chillon,  and  will  soon  be  there," 
said  Frank.     "Can  you  repeat  Byron's  sonnet  on  Chillon  '." 

"  Certainly  I  can — or,  at  any  rate,  I  believe  so.  Please  correct  me  if 
I  make  a  mistake  in  any  of  the  lines : 

"'Eternal  Spirit  of  the  chainless  Mind  ! 

Brightest  in  dungeons,  Liberty  !  thou  art, 

For  there  thy  habitation  is  the  heart — 
The  heart  which  love  of  thee  alone  can  bind; 
And  when  thy  sons  to  fetters  are  consigned — 

To  fetters,  and  the  damp  vault's  dayless  gloom, 

Their  country  conquers  with  their  martyrdom, 
And  Freedom's  fame  finds  wings  on  every  wind. 
Chillon  !  thy  prison  is  a  holy  place, 

And  thy  sad  floor  an  altar — for  'twas  trod, 


:U0       THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

Until  his  very  steps  ha%-e  left  a  trace 

Worn,  as  if  thy  colli  pavement  were  a  sod. 

By  Bonnivard!     .May  noue  those  murks  efface  I 
For  they  appeal   from   tyranny  to  God.'" 

"Quite  correct!"  exclaimed  Frank.  "  You  have  every  word  exactly 
as  in  the  original."  While  Mary  repeated  the  sonnet  her  brother  kept 
his  eves  fixed  on  a  page  of  Byron's  Poetical  Works,  which  he  had 
bought  on  the  day  of  their  arrival  at  Geneva.  It  had  been  carefully 
perused  by  all  the  party,  especially  the  portion  relating  to  Lake  Leman 
and  the  country  that  surrounded  it.  This  may  account  for  their  famil- 
iarity with  the  lines  they  have  quoted. 

Mrs.  Bassett  had  shared  the  perusal  of  Byron  with  her  children  and 
nephew,  and  was  ready  with  a  question  as  soon  as  Mary  paused. 

-  I  was  reading  '  The  Prisoner  of  Chillon  '  yesterday,"  said  she,  "and 
came  upon  something  I  want  to  ask  about." 


THE    CASTLE    OF    CHILLON. 


WERE   THERE   SEVEN   BONNIVARDS ' 


311 


BONNIVARDS    DUNGEON. 


Frank  closed  the  book,  turned  towards  his  mother,  and  respectfully 
awaited  her  query. 

"  Was  it  really  the  case  that  Bonnivard  had  two  brothers  who  were 
imprisoned  with  him,  and  died  in  the  same  dungeon  where  he  was 
chained  to  the  pillar  and  kept  so  long  ?" 

"  That  is  not  true,"  replied  Frank  ;  "  neither  is  it  true — or  certainly 
there  is  no  record  or  tradition — that  there  were  seven  Bonnivards  who 
all  came  to  violent  deaths  at  the  hands  of  their  persecutors,  with  the 
sole  exception  of  the  one  who  tells  the  story." 

"  Then  Lord  Byron  must  have  been  deceived  by  some  one  when  he 
was  investigating  the  story  on  which  his  poem  was  founded,"  Mrs.  Bas- 
sett  remarked,  in  a  tone  of  disappointment. 

"  I  don't  think  he  was  deceived  at  all,"  replied  Frank.  "  He  wrote 
the  poem  before  he  troubled  himself  about  the  history.  When  he  saw 
the  dungeon,  with  its  '  seven  pillars  of  Gothic  mould,"  he  probably 
thought  it  would  be  more  poetical  to  have  each  of  them  occupied  by  a 
prisoner  than  to  give  the  place  over  to  the  solitary  Bonnivard.  And  of 
course  the  prisoners  would  be  more  interesting  if  there  were  two  or 
more  members  of  the  same  family  among  them.  After  he  had  written 
the  poem,  Byron  looked  up  the  history  of  Bonnivard.  He  says  in  a 
prefix  to  the  poem  that  he  was  not  sufficiently  aware  of  the  history  of 
the  illustrious  prisoner  at  the  time  he  penned  the  composition  which 
has  become  famous  through  the  English-speaking  world." 

"I  understand  better  than  I  have  comprehended  before,"  was  the 


312 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


reply,  "  what  is  meant  by  poetic  license.  It  means  that  a  poet  may  sac- 
rifice the  truth  of  history,  or  pay  no  attention  to  it  whatever,  in  order 
to  make  his  production  more  interesting  than  it  would  be  if  it  adhered 
to  facts  as  the  historical  student  finds  them." 

"That  is  a  fair  statement  of  the  case,"  responded  Frank— "and  here 
we  are  at  the  castle." 


CASTLE    OF    CHILLON,   LAND    SIDE. 


IN   THE  FAMOUS   CASTLE. 


313 


CHAPTER   XVIII 

THE  CASTLE  OF  CHILLON ;  ITS  ANTIQUITY.— THE  LAKE-DWELLERS  OF  SWITZER- 
LAND ;  WHO  THEY  WERE  AND  HOW  THEY  LIVED.— LOUIS  LE  DEBONAIR.— THE 
COUNTS  OF  SAVOY— SIEGE  OF  THE  CASTLE.— ILLUSTRIOUS  PRISONERS  OF  DIF- 
FERENT TIMES.— HALL  OF  THE  KNIGHTS.— WILLIAM  BOLOMIER.— BONNIVARD. 
—INSTRUMENTS  OF  TORTURE.— THE  PATH  WORN  BY  BONNIVARD'S  FEET ;  IN- 
SPECTION OF  HIS  DUNGEON.— THE  LITTLE  ISLE.— VILLENEUVE ;  SIGHTS  TO  BE 
SEEN  THERE.— SHEEP,  GOATS,  AND  COWS.— MOUNTAIN  PASTURES.— FOUNTAINS 
OF  VILLENEUVE.— WASHING  IN  THE  LAKE.— A  RIDE  BY  RAILWAY.— VALLEY 
OF  THE  RHONE.— MARTIGNY.— THE  LANDLORD'S  PHILOSOPHY. 


THE  party  was  hospitably  received  at  Chillon,  as  it  was  regarded 
good  for  not  less  than  four  francs  of  the  coin  of  Switzerland. 
There,  as  everywhere  else  through  the  country,  the  visitor  is  expected 
to  pay  for  the  privilege  of  sight- 
seeing at  every  step. 

"  The  castle  has  been  represent- 
ed many  times  in  pictures,  and  its 
outline  is  familiar  to  the  eyes  of 
thousands  of  persons  who  never 
looked  upon  Lake  Leman  or  any  of 
the  places  along  its  shores,"  wrote 
Fred  in  his  journal.  "  It  is  a  very 
old  castle — at  least,  there  are  parts 
of  it  that  existed  more  than  a  thou- 
sand years  ago,  and  many  antiqua- 
rians think  there  was  a  fortress  of 
some  kind  here  in  the  time  of  the 
Romans.  Other  antiquarians  go 
further  back  than  the  Romans,  and 
say  there  was  a  place  of  defence 
here  occupied  by  those  curious  and 
prehistoric  people,  the  lake -dwell- 
ers of  ancient  times." 

"  What  do  vou  mean  bv  lake- 


MOAT   TOWER    OF    CHII.LON. 


IU4  THE   BOY    TRAVELLERS    IN   CENTRAL    EUROPE. 

dwellers?"  Mrs.  Bassett  asked,  when  Fred  made  the  above  statement. 
••I  don't  remember  to  have  heard  of  them." 

"They  were  people  who  lived  in  huts  which  stood  on  piles  driven 
into  the  water  in  shallow  places  along  the  borders  of  the  Swiss 
lakes,  generally  not  far  from  land." 

"  How  long  ago  did  they  exist '." 

"The  exact  period  cannot  be  given,  but  it  was  before  the  days  of 
iron  or  even  of  bronze,  though  some  of  the  settlements  seem  to  have 
lasted  down  to  the  time  those  metals  were  introduced.  Remains  of  the 
villages  of  the  lake -dwellers  were  first  discovered  in  1854,  when  the 
Lake  of  Zurich  was  unusually  low  ;  since  that  date  search  has  been  made 
for  them,  and  they  have  been  found  in  all  the  lakes  of  Switzerland. 
The  wooden  posts  on  which  the  houses  stood  have  been  preserved  by 
the  water,  though  most  of  them  are  so  soft  that  they  can  be  easily  cut 
with  a  spade.  Implements  and  weapons  of  stone,  bone,  and  horn  have 
been  found,  together  with  pieces  of  pottery  and  other  things." 

"Thank  you,"  was  the  reply.  "Now  let  us  talk  about  the  Castle  of 
( 'hillon  and  its  history." 

"The  castle  first  appears  authentically  in  history."  said  Fred,  "dur- 
ing the  ninth  century,  when  Louis  le  Debonair,  son  and  successor  of 
Charlemagne,  sent  his  uncle.  Count  Wala,  into  the  dungeon  beneath  it 
as  a  prisoner." 

"What  did  he  do  that  for?"  Mary  asked. 

"Well,  it  seems  that  Count  Wala,  who  was  an  abbot  of  high  stand- 
ing, spoke  disrespectfully  of  Judith  of  Bavaria,  the  wife  of  Louis;  this 
happened  while  Louis  was  away  from  home,  and  when  he  returned  his 
wife  asked  to  have  the  count  put  to  death.  Louis  was  a  man  of  very 
nice  notions  of  honor  ;  he  thought  it  would  not  be  a  refined  and  gentle- 
manly act  to  murder  his  uncle,  and  so  he  compromised  the  matter  by 
shutting  him  up  in  prison.  Fearing  that  the  count's  friends  might  at- 
tempt his  rescue,  Louis  sent  the  captive  to  a  castle  in  Lombardy,  where 
he  was  securely  kept  until  he  died  in  the  year  836. 

"According  to  history,"  Fred  continued,  "the  castle  was  then  much 
smaller  than  it  is  at  present.  The  dukes  of  Savoy  obtained  possession 
of  it  in  the  eleventh  century,  and  they  at  once  proceeded  to  enlarge  it 
and  give  it  its  present  shape.  Count  Peter  of  Savoy  was  besieged  in 
it  by  the  barons  of  the  surrounding  country,  who  regarded  him  as  an 
interloper ;  but  they  did  not  besiege  it  very  earnestly,  for  one  night  the 
count  sallied  out  with  all  his  men,  fell  upon  the  barons  ami  their  forces, 
and  defeated  them  very  badly.      The  old  chronicle  savs  that   eighty- 


COUNT  PETER  OF  SAVOY. 


315 


TERN1CX    AND     1IONTREUX. 


eight  of  the  barons  were  captured  and  taken  to  the  castle,  after  the 
most  of  their  followers  had  been  killed  by  their  assailants." 

"  Did  the  count  keep  them  all  here  in  prison  V 

"No;  the  chronicle  says  that  he  feasted  them  and  commended  their 
courage,  and  then  allowed  them  to  go  home.  Some  years  later  the  cas- 
tle was  besieged  and  taken,  but  Peter  of  Savoy  raised  an  army  suffi- 
ciently large  to  recapture  it.  That  he  had  hard  work  to  do  is  shown 
by  the  statement  that  he  launched  fifty  thousand  shafts  and  arrows 
against  it  before  he  succeeded  in  starving  out  the  garrison. 

'•  The  next  important  event  in  the  history  of  Chillon,"  said  Fred, 
';  was  in  the  fourteenth  century,  when  there  was  great  persecution  of 


310 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IX  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


the  Jews  all  through  Europe,  and  especially  in  this  region.  They  were 
accused  of  a  conspiracy  to  poison  the  wells  and  springs  everywhere,  and 
to  develop  the  disease  known  as  the  '  pestilence,'  or  '  black  death.'  Hun- 
dreds of  these  unfortunates  were  shut  up  in  the  Castle  of  Chillon— men, 
women,  and  children.  Some  were  burned  alive  by  order  of  the  judges 
of  Savoy,  but  the  people  of  the  region  thought  the  judges  were  proceed- 
ing altogether  too  slowly,  and  consequently  decided  to  take  the  law  into 
their  own  hands  as  judges,  jurors,  and  excutioners." 

"What  did  they  do?" 

"A  mob  of  them  came  to  the  castle,  and  were  readily  admitted  by 
the  guards.  They  killed  every  one  of  the  prisoners,  without  distinction 
of  age  or  sex.  many  of  the  victims  being  burned  alive.    The  only  action 


A    FOUNTAIN    AT    VILLENETVE. 


THE  CASTLE   OF  CHILLON.  317 

ever  taken  against  this  outrage  was  an  apology  from  the  judges  for  not 
having  been  more  expeditious  in  their  work.*' 

"Are  there  any  more  horrors  connected  with  this  prison  before  we 
get  down  to  the  time  of  Bonnivard  ?"  Mary  asked. 

"  Yes;  a  hundred  years  before  Bonnivard's  time  there  was  a  prisoner 
of  state  at  Chillon — William  Bolomier,  Chancellor  of  the  Duke  of  Savoy. 
His  only  crime  is  said  to  have  been  that  of  raising  himself  from  a  hum- 
ble condition  to  the  position  that  he  held  at  the  time  of  his  arrest  on  a 
charge  of  '  calumny.'  He  was  kept  here  for  some  time,  and  then  taken 
from  the  prison  at  night  to  be  drowned  in  the  lake  at  the  hands  of  the 
executioner  of  Savoy  by  order  of  the  judges. 

'•  That  brings  us  down  to  Bonnivard's  time,"  said  Fred — "  to  Bonni- 
vard, the  most  famous  prisoner  that  Chillon  ever  held,  his  fame  being 
due  to  Byron's  poem  about  him.  You  know  who  Bonnivard  was,  and 
I  need  not  repeat  our  conversation  soon  after  we  left  Geneva  on  board 
the  steamer  which  bears  his  name." 

"  Has  the  place  been  used  as  a  prison  of  state  since  Bonnivard  was 
kept  here  ?"  Mrs.  Bassett  asked,  as  Fred  paused. 

"  Yes,  it  was  repeatedly  used  for  the  incarceration  of  captives  more 
or  less  distinguished,  but  their  fame  has  not  descended  to  us,  with  now 
and  then  an  exception.  During  the  latter  part  of  the  last  century  the 
castle  became  known  as  '  The  Bastile  of  Switzerland,'  as  it  was  used  by 
the  authorities  of  Berne  as  the  place  of  imprisonment  of  two  citizens  of 
Canton  Yaud,  whose  offence  was  the  organization  of  a  banquet  to  cele- 
brate the  fall  of  the  Bastile  at  Paris.  During  the  Revolution  a  goodly 
number  of  magistrates  and  other  officials  were  shut  up  in  Chillon,  but 
they  were  not  kept  there  very  long.  It  is  said  that  the  only  difference 
between  their  treatment  and  that  of  the  boarders  in  the  numerous  pen- 
sions in  the  neighborhood  was  that  they  were  deprived  of  their  liberty." 

"With  the  knowledge  thus  obtained  of  the  Castle  of  Chillon  and  its 
inmates  for  ten  centuries,  the  visit  within  its  walls  was  specially  inter- 
esting to  our  friends.  Mrs.  Bassett  was  somewhat  surprised  to  find  that 
the  castle  contained  so  many  and  such  spacious  rooms  as  she  found 
there.  She  lingered  in  the  apartments  of  the  dukes  and  in  the  Gothic 
chapel,  which  is  said  to  date  from  the  fourteenth  century,  but  has  been 
deprived  of  many  of  its  decorations  through  the  zeal  of  the  Reformers, 
who  covered  everything,  or  nearly  everything,  with  whitewash.  The 
guide  said  that  on  Sundays  they  had  preaching  in  the  chapel  by  the 
pastor  of  the  church  at  Yilleneuve,  and  sometimes  by  visiting  clergy- 
men from  other  parts  of  Switzerland. 


318        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IX  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

They  lingered  also  in  the  great  Hull  of  the  Knights,  which  recalled 
similar  halls  in  the  castles  of  the  Rhine  and  other  parts  of  German)'.  A 
place  which  possessed  a  terrible  interest  was  the  Hall  of  Justice,  with 
which  was  connected  a  torture  chamber.  It  was  well  for  the  comfort 
of  the  visitors  that  the  walls  long  since  ceased  to  echo  the  screams  of 
those  who  suffered  there  when  the  rack  was  used  to  extort  confessions 
from  prisoners,  or  to  compel  witnesses  to  tell  the  exact  truth  and  noth- 
ing but  the  truth,  or  anything  else  desired. 

"  We  saw  the  instruments  of  torture  that  were  used  here,"  said 
Fred,  "  and  they  were  enough  to  make  us  shudder  as  we  looked  at  them. 
Then  they  showed  us  the  pits  where  the  condemned  were  thrown  into 
the  lake  to  be  drowned  ;  there  were  knives  in  the  sides  of  these  pits,  so 
that  it  was  more  than  probable  the  victim  was  killed  by  them,  or  cer- 
tainly was  terribly  lacerated,  before  he  reached  the  water.  The  pits 
have  long  been  choked  with  sand,  and  I  don't  believe  anybody  wants 
them  cleared  out — certainly  not  for  their  former  uses.  There  was  a  bed 
hollowed  out  of  the  rock,  where  the  condemned  slept  on  the  night  be- 
fore the  execution.  Doubtless  it  had  plenty  of  occupants  in  former 
days ;  but  for  a  century  and  more  it  has  been  without  tenants,  and  is 
likely  to  be  so  for  centuries  to  come. 

"  I  had  been  a  little  sceptical  about  the  path  worn  in  the  rock  by  the 
feet  of  Bonnivard ;  but,  sure  enough,  there  it  is,  and  no  mistake.  It  is 
about  three  feet  long  and  a  foot  wide,  with  a  depth  of  something  more 
than  an  inch.  According  to  history,  Bonnivard  was  fastened  to  the 
ring  that  still  remains  in  the  pillar  by  a  chain  that  was  attached  either 
to  his  waist  or  his  ankle;  the  authorities  are  not  explicit  on  this  point. 
He  had  just  been  on  a  visit  to  the  Bishop  of  Lausanne  when  he  fell  into 
the  power  of  the  Duke  of  Savo}r,  and  here  is  his  own  brief  account  of 
his  capture  and  his  imprisonment  in  the  castle : 

"  '  He  (the  bishop)  gave  me  such  good  cheer  that  I  resolved  to  return 
to  Lausanne.  Bellegarde  gave  me  one  of  his  own  servants  on  horse- 
back to  accompany  me,  but  when  we  had  reached  St.  Catherine  on  the 
Jorat  the  commandant  of  the  Castle  of  Chillon,  Messire  Antoine  de 
Beaufort,  with  certain  others,  came  out  of  the  wood  where  they  had 
been  in  ambush  and  confronted  me.  I  was  riding  at  the  time  on  a 
mule,  while  my  guide  was  on  a  powerful  work-horse.  "  Spur  on !"  I 
cried  to  him,  "  spur  on  !*'  and  I  used  my  spurs,  while  putting  my  hand 
to  my  sword.  But  my  guide,  instead  of  leading  on,  turned  his  horse, 
rushed  upon  me,  and,  using  the  knife  which  he  had  had  in  readiness,  cut 
the  belt  of  my  sword.     Upon  this  these  honest  people  fell  upon  me  in  a 


m 


fcft 


TRE    PRISONER    OP    CHII.LON. 


320        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

body  and  made  me  the  duke's  prisoner,  and,  notwithstanding  the  safe 
conduct  which  I  showed  tliem,  they  bore  me  away,  securely  bound,  to 
Chillon,  where  I  was  forced,  without  other  help  than  God's,  to  endure 
my  second  passion.' 

"  Bonnivard  tells  us  that  for  two  years  he  was  treated  more  as  a 
guest  than  a  prisoner,  as  he  had  a  fine  apartment  close  to  that  of  the 
commander  of  the  castle  and  his  table  was  well  supplied.  At  the  end 
of  that  time  the  duke  visited  the  castle  and  was  evidently  displeased 
with  the  way  Bonnivard  was  treated.  '  For  after  his  departure,'  says 
the  famous  reformer,  'the  captain  threw  me  into  a  vault  lower  than  the 
lake,  where  I  remained  four  years.  I  cannot  say  whether  it  was  done 
by  the  duke's  orders  or  from  his  own  notion,  but  I  do  know  that  after 
that  time  I  had  so  much  leisure  for  walking  that  I  wore  a  little  path 
into  the  rocky  floor  of  my  prison,  as  though  some  one  had  made  it  with 
a  hammer.' 

"  He  does  not  tell  us  how  he  was  fed,  or  if  he  was  allowed  any  com- 
panionship with  other  prisoners.  In  each  of  the  pillars  there  was  a  ring 
just  like  the  one  where  Bonnivard  was  bound,  but  there  are  no  paths 
worn  in  the  rock  like  the  one  which  he  made  with  his  continual  pacing 
back  and  forth.  Byron's  name  is  on  the  pillar,  and  there  are  other 
names  near  it — in  fact,  the  whole  place  is  scribbled  over  with  the  auto- 
graph of  visitors,  the  great  majority  of  them  being  quite  unknown  to 
fame.  We  saw  where  Eugene  Sue  and  Victor  Hurro  had  recorded  their 
visits ;  we  heard  that  our  great  poet  Longfellow  had  made  a  record  of 
his  presence  at  Chillon,  but  we  did  not  see  it. 

"  Perhaps  you  will  wonder  how  Bonnivard's  imprisonment  came  to 
an  end.  The  people  of  Geneva  did  not  forget  him,  and  after  Berne  had 
captured  the  Yaud  country  the  Genevese  proposed  a  joint  expedition  of 
Berne  and  Geneva  for  the  capture  of  the  Castle  of  Chillon.  The  Bernese 
invested  the  castle  by  land,  while  the  Genevese  advanced  upon  it  with  a 
fleet  of  boats.  At  an  appointed  time  the  attack  was  made  by  both  par- 
ties, and  the  commandant  thought  it  best  to  offer  the  surrender.  The 
fighting  was  suspended  just  before  nightfall.  During  the  night,  while 
the  parley  was  going  on,  the  commandant  retired  with  his  garrison,  and 
the  next  day  the  allied  forces  took  possession. 

"They  found  seven  prisoners  from  Geneva,  including  Bonnivard. 
When  they  told  him  he  was  free  and  could  go  wherever  he  liked. 
Bonnivard  asked.  '  How  about  Geneva  V 

"'Geneva  is  free,  too,' was  the  reply;  and  then  Bonnivard's  chain 
was  unfastened,  and  he  went  again  into  the  open  air,  from  which  he  had 


BONNIVARD'S  DUNGEON.  321 

been  shut  in  for  four  years.     What  long  years  they  must  have  seemed 
to  him  in  his  dreary  place  of  confinement !" 

Mrs.  Bassett  asked  for  the  island  which  is  mentioned  in  Byron's  poem 
in  the  following  words : 

"And  then  there  was  a  little  isle, 
Which  in  my  very  face  did  smile, 

The  only  one  in  view  ; 
A  small  green  isle,  it  seem'd  no  more, 
Scarce  broader  than  my  dungeon  floor, 
But  in  it  there  were  three  tall  trees, 
And  o'er  it  blew  the  mountain  breeze." 

Fred  pointed  out  the  island,  which  had  been  called  to  his  attention 
by  the  guide  while  Mrs.  Bassett  was  looking  at  something  else.  Fred 
told  his  aunt,  on  the  authority  of  the  guide,  that  the  three  trees  were 
planted  in  the  last  century,  and  consequently  were  not  in  existence  dur- 
ing the  imprisonment  of  Bonnivard.  But  they  were  on  the  islet  when 
Byron  visited  the  castle,  and  therefore  they  found  a  place  in  the  poem. 
The  little  spot  of  land  is  called  Be  de  Faix,  and  is  about  one  hundred 
feet  long  and  fifty  feet  wide. 

When  our  friends  had  completed  their  inspection  of  the  famous  cas- 
tle they  returned  to  their  boat,  and  continued  the  voyage  on  the  lake 
to  Villeneuve.  The  wind  had  freshened  somewhat,  but  as  they  were 
in  the  bay  which  terminates  the  lake  they  were  not  disturbed  by  the 
motion  of  the  waters,  and  enjoyed  the  sail  very  much. 

As  they  neared  Villeneuve  they  perceived  that  it  was  a  walled  town 
that  had  evidently  changed  very  little  for  a  long  time.  Frank  said 
there  was  a  town  there  in  the  time  of  the  Romans,  and  it  was  then 
called  Pennilucus  or  Penneloci.  Quite  possibly  they  might  find  some 
dwellers  there  who  would  claim  descent  from  the  Roman  rulers,  and 
be  prepared  to  prove  it  in  case  of  dispute. 

"  Doesn't  Villeneuve  mean  '  new  city  V  "  Mrs.  Bassett  asked. 

"  Yes,"  was  the  reply  ;  "  that  is  the  meaning  of  the  word." 

"And  this  is  one  of  the  oldest  cities  or  towns  along  the  lake?" 

"  Yes,  one  of  the  oldest.  And  that's  probably  the  reason  they  call 
it  Villeneuve,  just  as  the  oldest  city  in  Russia  is  called  ^Novgorod,  which 
has  exactly  the  same  meaning  in  Russian  that  Villeneuve  has  in  French. 
Each  of  those  places  was  'new'  at  the  time  of  its  foundation,  and  it  has 
adhered  to  the  name  of  newness  ever  since." 

"  Just  as  Mr.  Peaslee's  twenty-year-old  horse  is  called  '  the  colt,' " 
said  Mary. 


322 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IX  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


'•And  just  as  Mr.  Webster's  eighteen-year-old  daughter  is  called  'the 
baby,'  for  the  sole  reason  that  she  is  the  youngest  of  the  family,  and 
was  designated  'the  baby'  to  distinguish  her  from  the  elder  children." 

Fred  remarked,  as  soon  as  he  had 
the  opportunity  to  speak. 

•  And  I  suppose  those  may  be 


WASHING    CLOTHES    IN    THE    LAKE. 


called  babies  of  Yilleneuve,"  said  Mrs.  Bassett.  as  her  eyes  rested  up:>n 
three  women  who  were  standing  in  a  large  tub  in  the  water  at  the  edtre 


SIGHTS   OF  VILLENEUVE.  323 

of  the  lake.  Two  were  bareheaded,  and  the  third  wore  a  straw  hat. 
Their  arms  were  bare  to  the  elbow,  and  they  were  holding  an  animated 
conversation,  and  at  the  same  time  occupied  with  the  work  of  the  laun- 
dress. In  front  of  each  wTas  a  sloping  board,  one  end  of  which  rested 
on  the  tub,  while  the  other  was  in  the  water.  This  was  the  Swiss 
equivalent  of  the  "  washboard,"  that  is  such  a  familiar  object  in  the  New 
England  household  at  the  present  day. 

There  were  several  groups  of  laundresses  along  the  lake  shore,  and  if 
one  could  judge  by  the  quantity  of  linen  hanging  on  the  lines  they  had 
plenty  of  occupation.  The  great  number  of  strangers  sojourning  in  the 
hotels  and  pensions  gives  these  women  all  they  wish  to  do  during  the 
summer  months.  When  the  autumn  comes  their  business  declines,  and 
many  of  them  are  forced  to  turn  their  attention  to  other  means  of  live- 
lihood. The  women  of  this  part  of  the  country  do  a  great  deal  that  is 
not  generally  regarded  as  woman's  work  in  America ;  they  toil  in  the 
fields,  carry  heavy  burdens,  handle  coal  and  paving-stones,  and  when 
the  time  of  the  vintage  comes  there  are  more  women  than  men  engaged 
in  it.  Laundry  work  is  one  of  the  highest  of  their  occupations.  They 
are  said  to  be  good  house-keepers,  and  certainly  such  of  the  houses  as 
our  friends  were  able  to  peep  into  were  the  perfection  of  neatness. 

"  Yilleneuve  is  a  quaint  old  place,"  wrote  Fred,  "  and  we  were 
charmed  with  its  apparent  willingness  to  keep  things  as  they  are. 
The  houses  are  mostly  old  to  a  degree  that  cannot  be  readily  estimated, 
but  are  built  so  solidly  that  they  may  stand  for  as  long  a  time  in  the 
future  as  they  have  stood  in  the  past.  The  pavements  are  such  as  you 
might  expect  to  find  in  a  town  which  boasts  of  its  antiquity ;  they  are 
rough  to  walk  upon  and  equally  rough  to  ride  over,  especially  if  you 
happen  to  engage  one  of  the  rheumatic  vehicles  that  ply  here  for  the 
use  of  the  stranger  within  the  gates,  or  anybody  else  who  ventures  to 
patronize  them  from  disinclination  to  walk. 

"  As  we  strolled  about  the  town  we  encountered  two  or  three  flocks 
of  sheep  and  as  many  of  goats.  They  were  generally  driven  or  led  by 
boys,  and  the  closeness  with  which  they  followed  their  young  guides 
showed  that  they  were  attracted  to  them  by  some  other  feeling  than 
that  of  fear.  The  Swiss  are  very  kind  to  their  dumb  animals.  Of 
course  there  will  be  occasional  instances  of  cruelty,  but  they  are  the 
exceptions  and  not  the  rule,  as  our  observation  goes. 

"We  did  not  see  any  herds  of  cattle  in  the  vicinity  of  Yilleneuve, 
and  so  we  asked  an  intelligent  boy,  who  had  attached  himself  to  us  as 
a  volunteer  guide  in  the  hope  of  prospective  reward,  where  all  their 


324 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


CATTLE    AT    THK    }OCXTAIX. 


cows  were.  lie  told  us  they  were  up  in  their  mountain  pastures,  where 
they  are  sent  during  the  summer,  accompanied  by  the  young  men  and 
women,  mostly  the  former,  who  are  to  take  care  of  them,  and  prepare 
the  butter  and  cheese  for  market.  "We  found  that  the  Swiss  custom  of 
sending  cattle  to  the  mountain  pastures  in  summer,  and  returning  them 
to  the  lowlands  in  winter,  is  exactly  like  that  of  the  Norwegians  which 
we  have  already  told  about.  In  fact,  the  two  are  so  nearly  identical 
that  one  description  will  answer  for  both.* 

"  Goats  and  sheep  are  also  sent  to  the  mountains  in  considerable 
numbers,  where  they  fatten  upon  the  rich  grasses  that  grow  in  the  little 
valleys  and  along  the  slopes.  Sometimes  the  cows  and  goats  run  to- 
gether; and  it  is  a  noticeable  circumstance  that  where  two  or  three 
sheep  or  goats  have  been  kept  for  a  while  with  the  cattle,  they  will  not 


*  See  The  Boy  Travellers  in  Northern  Europe,  chapter  xxvi. 


GOATS   IN   SWITZERLAND. 


325 


thereafter  associate  willingly  with  their  own  kind.  They  prefer  the 
companionship  of  the  larger  animals,  but  whether  through  a  sense  of 
protection  in  the  superior  size  of  the  cattle,  or  from  what  other  cause,  I 
am  unable  to  say.  The  goats  in  Switzerland  are  superior  to  the  speci- 
mens that  one  finds  in  the  upper  portions  of  JSew  York  City ;  in  fact, 
none  of  us  have  ever  seen  in  America  any  goats  that  equal  the  Swiss 
ones  in  size  and  beauty.  The  milk  of  the  goat  is  far  superior  to  cows' 
milk,  as  every  one  who  has  ever  used  it  will  readily  admit.  The  thrifty 
Swiss  dilute  it  with  water  before  bringing  it  to  the  table,  and  the  dilu- 
tion is  such  that  Mary  says  she  is  sure  water  is  a  great  deal  cheaper 
than  milk,  or  they  wouldn't  be  so  liberal  with  it. 

"We  passed  the  post-office  during  our  stroll,  and  Mary  suggested  we 
might  stop  and  ask  for  letters,  just  for  the  sake  of  seeing  the  place.  We 
peeped  in  at  the  door,  but  did  not  enter.  The  post-office  was  not  large, 
and  evidently  its  business  is  not  extensive,  if  wre  are  to  judge  by  the 
general  appearance  of  the  place.  We  could  not  see  any  man  about  the 
post-office,  and  if  there  was  one  in  charge  of  it  he  had  evidently  gone 
out,  and  left  it  to  the  care  of  the  woman  who  was  trying  to  understand 
the  very  poor  French  of  two  Englishmen  who  were  seeking  their  letters, 


POST-OFFICE,    VILLKSEUVE. 


32G        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

and  were  unable  to  make  her  comprehend  the  pronunciation  of  their 
names,  which  were  strange  to  her  ears. 

"As  we  came  away  Mary  said  she  felt  like  telling  the  strangers  to 
show  their  visiting-cards,  or  some  other  piece  of  paper  on  which  their 
names  were  printed  in  plain  type. 

"This  is  the  sensible  thing  for  everybody  to  do  when  he  is  in  a  for- 
eign country.  If  you  carry  a  passport  in  your  pocket  have  your  name 
stamped  in  large  letters  on  the  case ;  then  when  you  call  at  a  post-office 
for  mail  matter  you  have  only  to  show  the  stamped  name,  and  your  de- 
sire will  be  understood  at  once  by  the  official. 

"  The  fountains  of  Villeneuve,  like  those  of  all  other  Swiss  cities 
and  towns,  are  centres  of  sociability"  to  a  degree  unknown  in  America. 
Cattle  and  other  domestic  animals  drink  from  them ;  servants  come 
with  buckets,  which  they  fill  at  the  spouts  whence  the  water  flows 
steadily,  and  as  the  buckets  are  filling  the  opportunity  is  embraced  for 
a  friendly  chat  with  whatever  acquaintance  may  be  there.  Mary  de- 
tected, or  thought  she  detected,  a  pair  of  lovers  exchanging  sweet  words 
at  a  fountain,  the  swain  leaning  on  one  side  of  the  stone  trough,  while 
the  maid  pretended  to  busy  herself  with  the  polish  of  a  pan  which  she 
had  brought  there  for  cleansing'.  Marv  made  a  hasty  sketch  of  the 
scene,  which  she  afterwards  elaborated.  The  hero  and  heroine  were  so 
attentive  to  each  other  that  they  did  not  see  the  artist,  who  was  putting 
them  into  a  picture  from  the  nearest  corner. 

"  The  streets  of  Villeneuve,  like  those  of  all  the  old  continental 
towns,  are  narrow  and  not  always  straight,  and  on  most  of  them  the 
entire  width  of  the  street  serves  as  sidewalk.  Frequently  the  buildings 
are  connected  by  means  of  arches  across  the  streets.  This  feature  is  not 
peculiar  to  Villeneuve,  as  we  have  seen  it  in  Geneva.  Lausanne,  and 
Vevay,  and  expect  to  see  it  wherever  we  go  in  Switzerland.  The  arch- 
ways are  convenient  resting-places  when  it  rains,  and  it  is  proper  to 
remark  that  this  part  of  Switzerland  is  usually  supplied  with  rain  in 
great  abundance.  Perhaps  it  is  for  this  reason  that  so  many  archways 
have  been  built  here ;  at  least  a  philosopher  might  so  argue,  just  as  one 
wise  man  is  credited  with  saying  it  is  a  very  fortunate  circumstance  that 
great  rivers  nearly  always  run  past  large  cities." 

Mary  made  note  of  the  fact  that  the  language  of  Villeneuve  was 
French,  and  her  inquiries  developed  the  circumstance  that  many  of  the 
servants  in  Swiss  families  there  came  from  the  German -speaking  can- 
tons in  order  to  acquire  French.  In  the  same  way  young  people  go 
from  the  French-speaking  districts  to  learn  German  in  cantons  where 


LANGUAGES  IN  THE   SWISS   CANTONS. 


327 


FLIRTATION    BY    THE    WATER. 


that  language  is  spoken.  German  is  spoken  by  the  majority  of  the  in- 
habitants in  fifteen  cantons,  French  in  five,  Italian  in  one,  and  Eo- 
mansch  in  one.  More  than  two-thirds  of  the  people  of  Switzerland 
speak  German  as  their  native  language,  bat  a  considerable  number  of 
these  have  a  fair  knowledge  of  French,  and  the  same   may  be  said 


328 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


with  regard  to  German  of  those  people  in  various  parts  of  the  country 
to  whom  French  is  the  mother-tongue. 

"  We  returned  to  Vevay  by  rail,  as  had  been  arranged  when  we  left 
there,"  said  Alary,  "and  it  was  our  first  ride  upon  a  real  Swiss  railway, 
the  line  by  which  we  came  to  Geneva  from  Culoz  being  distinctively  a 
French  one.  The  carriage  we  rode  in  was  more  like  an  American  one 
than  anything  we  had  seen  on  the  Continent,  as  it  had  a  passageway 
through  the  centre,  with  seats  arranged  on  both  sides  of  it.  The  train 
signal  for  starting  was  given  by  blowing  a  horn.  At  the  crossings  we 
saw,  as  we  looked  from  the  windows  of  the  train,  signal -women  stand- 
ing with  Hags  in  their  hands  and  horns  at  their  lips.  They  were  there 
to  warn  people  against  crossing  the  track  Avhile  the  cars  were  ap- 
proaching ;  they  certainly  did  their  duty,  as  we  did  not  run  over  any- 
body, or,  if  so,  we  did  not  know  it, 

"  The  railway  station  of  Villeneuve  is  outside  the  town,  and  the  same 
is  the  case  with  that  of  Vevay ;  but  the  distances  are  not  great,  and  as 
the  groups  at  the  stations  are  more  or  less  picturesque,  and  there  is 
plenty  to  see,  I  liked  the  arrangement  better  than  if  the  train  had 
brought  us  to  the  door  of  our  hotel  or  taken  us  directly  from  it. 

'•  Our  ride  by  rail  was  a  short  one,  as  the  distance  between  the  two 
places  is  only  seven  miles.     "We  took  seats  on  the  left  side  of  the  car- 


0UTS1DE    OF   VILLENEUVE. 


A  MOONLIGHT   EXCURSION. 


329 


**>, 


^w*n 


riage,  so  as  to  have  the 
lake  and  mountains  in  the 
picture  that  was  revealed 
from  the  windows.  Of 
course  we  had  another 
glance  at  Chillon,  which 
will  always  remain  in  my 
memory  as  a  very  inter- 
esting place.  The  sunset 
on  the  mountains  in  the 
distance  was  well  worth 
coming  a  long  way  to  see; 
long  after  the  shadows 
had  fallen  on  the  lake 
and  on  the  valley  of  the 
Rhone,  where  the  river 
pours  its  turbid  stream 
into  Leman,  the  mount- 
ains were  bright  with  the 
sunlight,  which  seemed  to 
linger  as  though  unwill- 
ing to  leave  the  world  in 
darkness. 

"  In  the  evening  we 
had  the  moonlight  on  the 
lake,  and  it  was  so  enjoy- 
able that  we  remained  up 
somewhat  later  than  is 
our  custom.  We  hired  a 
boat  for  an  hour  on  the 
water,  and  mamma  and 
I  liked  it  so  much  that 

Frank  told  the  boatmen  we  would  keep  them  for  two  hours.  When 
we  came  back  to  shore  and  found  it  was  a  late  bedtime  Frank  said  we 
need  not  be  in  a  hurry  to  get  up  in  the  morning,  and  breakfast -time 
could  be  half  an  hour  later  than  usual.  He  said  something  about 
continuing  our  journey,  provided  the  weather  should  prove  favorable, 
but  if  it  wasn't  we  would  stay  another  day  at  Vevay." 

As  soon  as  the  party  was  seated  at  breakfast  the  next  morning  Mrs. 
Bassett  asked  Frank  where  they  would  go  next. 


ARCHWAY    AND    SHEEP. 


330        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IX  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

"  If  you  do  not  object  to  a  little  fatigue,"  the  youth  replied,  "  I  pro- 
pose to  take  you  to  Mont  Blanc  as  soon  as  possible."' 
"  Will  the  journey  be  very  fatiguing,  do  you  think  '.' 


"Not  particularly,"  was  the  reply. 


We  will  go  this  afternoon  by 


train  to  Martigny,  which  is  thirty-one  miles  from  here— a  ride  of  an 
hour  and  a  half;  then  to-morrow  we  will  go  by  wagons  over  a  mount- 
ain road  from  Martigny  to  Chamouni.  It  will  be  necessary  to  start  in 
good  season,  as  the  ride  will  take  about  nine  hours,  and  we  will  stop  an 
hour  or  more  for  dinner  at  the  Tete  Noir  Hotel,  which  is  half  way. 

"  There  will  be  no  great  fatigue  about  that.  I'm  sure,"  said  Mrs.  Bas- 

sett,  "and  I  think  the 
journey  ought  to  be  an 
interesting  one." 

Of  course  Mary  was 
cpiite  ready  for  her 
part  of  the  scheme,  as 
she  would  have  been 
had  the  proposal  been 
much  more  terrifying. 
It  was  accordingly  set- 
tled that  they  would 
leave  by  a  train  early 
in  the  afternoon,  which 
would  brins;  them  to 
Martigny  in  ample 
time  to  make  all  nec- 
essary arrangements 
for  the  journey  over  the  hills  to 
Chamouni  and  Mont  Blanc. 
After  passing  Yilleneuve,  and 
having  another  view  of  the  Castle  of 
Chillon.  they  found  themselves  in 
the  valley  of  the  Rhone,  which  is 
three  or  four  miles  wide  where  it 
enters  the  lake,  but  narrows  rapidly  as  one  ascends 
along  the  banks  of  the  stream.  The  valley  is  flat, 
and  contains  many  marshes ;  it  has  been  filled  by 
the  earthy  deposits  which  the  river  has  brought 
down  from  the  mountains  during  the  ages  and  ages  of  its  flow,  closing 
up  what  was  originally  an  arm  of  the  lake. 


VALLEY    SCEXE. 


EXPERIENCE  AT  MARTIGNY.  331 

At  her  first  sight  of  the  rushing  Rhone,  Mary  called  attention  to  the 
gray  and  muddy  waters,  which  were  in  such  marked  contrast  to  the 
beautiful  blue  of  the  river  as  it  emerges  from  the  lake  at  Geneva. 
Then  the  girl  became  scientific,  and  asked  Fred  to  help  her  with  a  calcu- 
lation as  to  how  many  years  would  be  required  for  the  river  to  fill  the 
lake  altogether  with  the  debris  which  it  is  bringing  down. 

"  That's  easy  enough  to  find  out,"  said  Fred.  "  Tell  me  how  many 
cubic  feet  of  water  there  are  now  in  the  lake,  and  the  number  of  cubic 
feet  of  solid  matter  brought  down  every  year  by  the  Ehone,  and  Til 
do  the  rest  if  you  allow  me  time  enough.'' 

Mary  decided  that  she  would  leave  the  calculation  for  the  present, 
and  turn  her  attention  to  subjects  less  difficult,  especially  as  the  lake 
was  likely  to  last  as  long  as  they  would  have  any  use  for  it. 

In  due  time  the  train  reached  Martigny,  and  our  friends  proceeded 
to  one  of  the  hotels  of  the  busy  little  town.  Frank  immediately  set 
about  arranging  for  their  journey  to  Chamouni,  and  inquired  of  the 
hotel  keeper  as  to  the  facilities  for  procuring  carriages.  The  man  di- 
rected him  to  the  office  of  an  association  of  drivers,  and  in  reply  to  a 
question  by  the  youth  he  asserted  positively  that  there  was  no  other 
association  or  office  of  the  kind  in  Martigny. 

The  party  went  to  the  office  which  the  landlord  indicated,  and  the 
bargain  for  the  carriages  was  quickly  made,  in  accordance  with  the 
printed  tariff.  The  vehicles  for  the  mountain  road  are  light  wagons, 
with  two  seats  for  two  persons  each ;  consequently,  they  have  room  for 
three  passengers,  the  driver  occupying  one  of  the  tour  places.  Engage- 
ments were  concluded  for  two  wagons  at  fifty  francs  each,  and  it  was 
stipulated  that  no  other  passengers  were  to  be  taken.  The  money  was 
paid,  and  the  contract,  duly  signed  and  stamped,  was  handed  over  to 
Frank  as  the  leader  of  the  party. 

Then  our  friends  went  for  a  stroll  through  the  town,  and  one  of  the 
first  things  to  catch  their  eyes  was  a  carriage-office,  over  which  Avas  a 
sign  announcing  that  vehicles  for  two  persons  to  Chamouni  could  be 
had  there  for  thirty  francs  each.  On  their  return  to  the  hotel  Frank 
called  the  landlord's  attention  to  the  sign  they  had  seen,  and  mildly 
suggested  that  it  conflicted  with  his  statement  that  there  was  no  car- 
riage association  other  than  the  one  to  which  they  had  been  directed. 

"  There  is  no  other,"  was  his  reply.  "  The  one  you  are  talking  about 
is  a  rival  concern,  and  we  do  not  recognize  its  existence." 

Frank  and  Fred  endeavored  to  argue  the  case  with  the  man,  but 
soon  gave  it  up  in  despair.     Over  and  over  again  he  repeated, "  We  do 


332 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


not  recognize  its  existence,"  and  he  seemed  to  think  that  his  answer 
ought  to  satisfy  an}r  reasonable  being. 

"  lie  reminds  me,"  said  Frank,  "  of  the  French  philosopher  who  said 
that  when  a  man  owes  money  which  he  does  not  intend  to  pay  he 
really  is  out  of  debt  and  owes  nothing." 


t»±=fe» 


;?5*b" 


CHURCH    TERRACE,    MO.NTRtXX. 


A  WAGON  DRIVE  IN   THE  ALPS. 


333 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


FROM  MARTIGNY  TO  CHAMOHNL— HOW  THEY  "CHANGE  HORSES"  IX  SWITZER- 
LAND.—PASS  OF  THE  GREAT  SAINT-BERNARD.— WHO  WAS  ST.  BERNARD?— 
LIFE  AT  THE  HOSPICE  IN  THE  PASS.— DOGS  OF  THE  SAINT-BERNARD.— ORIGIN 
OF  THE  STOCK.— HOW  THE  HOSPICE  IS  MAINTAINED.— A  MEAN  STREAK  OF 
HUMAN  NATURE.— HOW  OUR  FRIENDS  TRAVELLED  BY  WAGON.— THE  DRIVER'S 
TRICK.— TETE  NOIR  HOTEL.— CHAMOUNI.— STUDYING  MONT  BLANC  — MONU- 
MENT TO  JACQUES  BALMAT.  —  DIFFICULTIES  AND  DANGERS  OF  THE  ASCENT 
OF  MONT  BLANC.  —  CATASTROPHE  TO  A  PARTY  CAUGHT  IN  A  STORM.  — DR. 
BEANE'S  NOTE -BOOK.  — GUIDES  THROWN  INTO  A  CREVASSE.  —  MONTANVERT 
AND  THE  MER  DE  GLACE.— MARY'S  ACCOUNT   OF  THE  EXCURSION  THITHER. 

ALL  went  to  bed  early  in  the  evening,  and  were  up  in  good  time  for 
breakfast,  and  the  start  for  Chamouni  by  wagon  road. 

Mrs.  Bassett  and  Fred  led  the  way  in  one  of  the  wagons,  and  were 
closely  followed  by  Frank  and  Mary  in  the  other.     Each  vehicle  was 
drawn  by  a  pair  of  sturdy  horses  accustomed  to  mountain  work,  and 
the  animals  settled  down  to  the  toil  before  them  as 
though  perfectly  willing  to  do  the  bidding  of  their 
drivers.     Fred  asked  the  driver  of  his  wagon  if  he 
went  through  to    Chamouni   without   a   change   of 
teams,  and  the  latter  promptly  answered  in  the  neg- 
ative.    "  "We  change  at  the  Tete  Noir,"  said  he ;  "  it 
would  be  too  much  for  the  horses  to  go  all  the  wa\T 
to  Chamouni,  as  the  road  is  very  hard." 

Fred  agreed  with  him,  and  complimented  the 
driver  on  the  regard  he  showed  for  the  faithful 
creatures  that  were  taking  the  wagon  up  the  slopes 
of  the  mountains  at  a  good  pace.  P>ut  when,  later 
in  the  day,  he  found  the  exact  character  of  the 
change  of  horses  at  the  Tete  Xoir  he  was  inclined 
to  laugh  at  the  wa}r  he  had  been  deceived. 

The  Tete  Xoir  Hotel  is  half  way  between  Mar- 
tigny  and  Chamouni.  and  the  streams  of  passengers 
from  each  place  for  the  other  meet  there  a  little  past 


331 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IX  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


noon.  The  wagons  exchange  passengers  at  this  point.  \Vlien  our 
friends  came  out  from  dinner  their  drivers  turned  them  over  to  two 
drivers  who  had  come  that  morning   from  Chamotmi   with   loads   of 


I — 


MOUNTAIN    AND    VALLEV. 


passengers.  There  was  certainly  "  a  change  of  horses,"  but  only  to 
horses  that  had  already  done  a  morning's  work  equal  to  that  of  the 
teams  that  had  brought  the  travellers  from  Martigny.  This  arrange- 
ment enables  the  drivers  from  either  end  of  the  route  to  reach  home  the 
same  evening,  and  the  fiction  of  "  changing  horses  "  is  well  calculated  to 
amuse  the  passenger  who  sympathizes  with  the  animals  in  the  hard 
work  they  have  to  perform  over  the  mountain  route. 

Half  a  mile  or  so  out  of  Martigny  a  guide-post  indicated  the  road  to 
the  Saint-Bernard  Pass  of  the  Alps — a  pass  that  has  long  been  famous. 
Mary  suggested  that  she  would  like  to  visit  the  hospice  at  the  top  of 
the  pass,  and  asked  Frank  how  long  it  had  been  maintained  there. 

Frank  replied  that  he  could  not  say  exactly,  as  the  early  history  of 
the  pass  and  hospice  is  not  at  all  clear.  "  The  account  most  generally 
believed,"  said  he,  "is  that  Bernard  de  Menthon  established  the  hospice 
in  the  year  9G2.  He  was  afterwards  canonized  as  St.  Bernard,  and  it  is 
from  him  that  the  pass  and  the  mountain  it  crosses  received  their  names." 


PASS   OF   THE   GREAT   SAINT  BERNARD.  335 

"  But  did  he  discover  the  pass  ?"  Mary  asked.  "  "Was  he  the  first 
traveller  over  it  according  to  history  ?" 

"  Not  by  any  means,"  responded  Frank.  "  The  pass  was  known 
long  before  his  time.  The  Romans  crossed  the  Alps  here  in  the  year 
100  before  the  Christian  era ;  several  Roman  armies  crossed  here  at 
different  times,  and  the  Emperor  Constantine  caused  the  road  to  be 
greatly  improved  in  the  year  339.  An  uncle  of  Charlemagne  invaded 
Italy  by  this  pass  in  a.d.  773,  accompanied  by  an  army  of  30,000  men." 

"  I  was  all  wrong  in  my  supposition  that  the  pass  was  named  for  its 
discoverer,"  said  Mary,  meekly.  "  I  don't  think  I'll  be  quite  as  hasty 
in  future  when  talking  about  the  Alps." 

"  Your  supposition  was  a  very  natural  one,"  Frank  answered,  "  and 
you  are  by  no  means  the  first  traveller  who  has  entertained  it.  It  is 
very  proper  that  the  pass  bears  the  name  of  St.  Bernard,  as  he  was 
the  first  man  to  establish  a  monastery  there  for  the  benefit  of  his  fel- 
low-men and  entertain  all  comers." 

Then  Frank  told  his  sister  that  the  monastery  comprises  a  society  of 
about  forty  members  of  the  Augustinian  order  of  monks.  Ten  to  fif- 
teen of  the  number  are  constantly  on  duty  at  the  monastery  or  hospice, 
and  they  have  seven  attendants  or  assistants.  There  is  an  asylum  for 
the  sick  and  aged  at  Martigny,  and  the  monks  retire  to  it  occasionally 
to  gather  strength  for  their  life  on  the  mountain,  and  they  go  there 
permanently  when  no  longer  able  to  withstand  the  very  severe  hard- 
ships of  their  abode  of  snow. 

"■They  begin  their  service  at  the  age  of  nineteen  or  twenty,"  said 
Frank,  "and  long  before  they  reach  their  fortieth  year  their  health  is 
generally  broken,  and  they  retire  to  the  milder  climate  of  the  valle}T. 
Snow  lies  on  the  mountain  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  hospice  for  nine 
months  in  the  year,  and  there  is  a  little  lake  close  to  the  monastery  that 
is  frequently  covered  with  ice  in  midsummer.  In  winter  the  cold  is  in- 
tense, and  it  is  then  that  the  monks  go  out  with  their  dogs  to  look  for 
unfortunate  travellers  who  may  have  been  caught  in  the  storms." 

"  This  is  where  the  Saint-Bernard  dogs  come  from,  I  suppose." 

"  Yes,"  was  the  reply ;  "  the  stock  is  believed  to  have  come  originally 
from  the  Spanish  Fyrenees,  but  the  genuine  breed  of  Saint  -  Bernard 
dogs  became  extinct  long  ago.  It  resembled  the  Newfoundland  dog  in 
many  ways.  The  present  breed  of  Saint-Bernard  dog  is  short-haired, 
and  is  generally  of  a  fawn  color,  with  very  broad  feet,  and  it  has  a  re- 
markably loud  and  deep  bark.  Many  lives  have  been  saved  by  the  in- 
telligence and  strength  of  the  dogs ;  they  are  trained  to  go  out  in  the 


336        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

morning  with  food  and  wine  and  blankets  fastened  to  them  for  the  re- 
lief of  sufferers.  There  are  usually  two  dogs  together,  so  that  when  a 
person  is  found  in  the  snow  one  can  remain  with  him  while  the  other 
returns  to  the  monastery  or  goes  hack  on  his  track  till  he  meets  some 
of  the  brethren,  as  the  latter  generally  fellow  the  dogs  soon  after  their 
departure.  In  the  museum  at  Heme  there  is  the  stuffed  skin  of  the 
dog  Barry,  which  is  said  to  have  saved  the  lives  of  lifteen  persons  be- 
fore he  broke  down  in  strength  and  was  brought  to  the  valley.  An- 
other dog  is  credited  with  saving  twenty-two  lives." 

Mary  asked  if  many  people  try  to  cross  in  winter  and  are  lost  in  the 
snows  of  Saint-Bernard  at  the  present  time. 

Frank  answered  that  since  the  improvement  of  the  roads  over  the 
mountain,  and  the  establishment  of  railways  through  Mont  Cenis  and 
Mount  Saint  Gothard,  the  number  of  travellers  over  the  Saint-Bernard 
Pass  in  winter  is  greatly  reduced.  "  Altogether,"  said  he,  "  there  are 
from  twelve  to  fifteen  or  sixteen   thousand  travellers   crossing  here 


^ 


SAINT  BKRNARD    DOG. 


MEANNESS  OF  MANY  TRAVELLERS.  337 

every  year,  but  by  far  the  greater  number  is  in  summer.  The  hospice 
is  maintained  gratuitously,  and  it  costs  eight  or  ten  thousand  dollars  a 
year  to  support  it.  People  are  lodged  and  fed  free  of  all  charge,  but 
there  is  a  box  in  the  hall  of  the  hospice,  where  those  who  can  afford 
to  pay  are  expected  to  give  as  much  as  they  would  give  at  a  hotel  in 
Martigny  or  Chamouni  for  the  same  entertainment." 

"  The  contributions  they  receive  in  this  way  from  travellers  ought 
to  be  very  large,"  said  Mary,  as  Frank  paused. 

"  To  the  discredit  of  human  nature,"  replied  Frank,  "  I  am  com- 
pelled to  say  that  they  are  very  small.  The  gifts  from  the  twelve  or 
fifteen  thousand  travellers  annually  entertained  at  the  hospice  do  not 
equal  what  would  be  the  charges  for  one  thousand  patrons  of  a  hotel, 
so  the  monks  say,  and  very  moderate  charges  at  that." 

"  "What  a  shame !"  the  girl  exclaimed. 

"  I  agree  with  you,"  said  Frank.  "  There's  Fred  stopping  and  sig- 
nalling to  us  to  come  along.     "Wonder  what  he  wants." 

Frank's  wagon  overtook  Fred's  in  a  few  minutes.  It  seemed  that 
Fred  had  learned  from  his  driver  of  a  short  cut  by  the  old  road  which 
was  much  less  than  the  new  one.  The  driver  had  suggested  to  Fred 
that  perhaps  they  would  like  to  walk  along  this  short  cut  while  the 
wagons  went  around  with  Mrs.  Bassett  and  Mary. 

Frank  negatived  the  proposal,  as  he  had  taken  pains  to  inform  him- 
self about  the  peculiarities  of  the  road.  The  old  road  was  rough  and 
ston}',  and  the  walking  anything  but  easy.  The  driver  was  evidently 
more  concerned  to  lighten  his  load  than  to  entertain  his  passengers; 
and  however  much  the  young  people  might  have  welcomed  the  walk  as 
a  variation  from  the  monotony  of  the  ride,  Frank  knew  that  his  mother 
would  not  care  to  take  it.  And,  furthermore,  the  so-called  short  cut 
would  have  required  an  hour  of  vigorous  walking  with  a  constant  ascent 
to  reach  the  other  end  of  it. 

So  the  party  remained  in  the  wagons,  and  the  ascent  was  continued. 
Looking  behind  them  now  and  then,  our  friends  had  views  of  the  valley 
of  the  Rhone,  while  around  them  they  had  the  peaks  of  the  Alps,  with 
valleys  like  great  gashes  cut  between.  Up  and  up  they  climbed,  till 
they  reached  the  Col  de  Trient,  which  is  also  known  as  Col  de  Forclaz, 
at  an  elevation  only  a  few  feet  short  of  five  thousand  above  the  level  of 
the  sea,  and  very  far  above  the  valleys. 

Mary  suggested  that  they  would  climb  to  the  top  of  the  little  tavern 
where  they  halted  for  a  few  minutes,  and  thus  would  gain  an  elevation 
exceeding  five  thousand  feet.     The  proposition  was  not  carried  out,  as 


33S 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


all  were  busy  with  the  view  which  they  had  of  the  valleys  below  them 
on  either  side  and  the  mountains  around. 

"While  they  were  resting,  the  drivers  made  fast  the  few  articles  of 


baggage  that  were  stowed  in  the  wagons. 
road  they  were  about  to  descend 
necessary    for    the    travellers    to 
ing  thrown  forward  from 
As    they  continued 


SWISS    MOUNTAIN    ROAD. 


They  explained  that  the 
was  steep,  and  it  would  be 
look  sharply  to  avoid  be- 
their  seats. 

their  journey  each  mem- 
ber of  the  party  obeyed 
the  injunction  of  the  driv- 
ers, and  after  a  few  min- 
utes Fred  suggested  that 
it    would   be   just    as 
agreeable  to  him  to 
walk  a  part   of 
the    way    down 
the  slope.  Frank 
and    Mary    as- 
sented, but  Mrs. 
Bassett  decided 
that  she  was  per- 
fectly contented 
with  the  wagon  ; 
consequently  the 
young  folks  in- 
dulged in  a  walk, 
which  Fred  said 
was    not    at   all 
fatiguing,  as 
their  weight  car- 
ried them  along. 
They  looked  far 
down     below 
them,    where    a 
little    river,  the 
Trient.  was  dash- 
ing  among  the 
rocks  and  through  stretches  of 
forest.     At  the  village  of  Trient 
they  resumed  their  places  in  the 


ARRIVAL   AT   CHAMOUNI.  339 

wagons  and  reached  the  Tete  Noir  (Black  Head)  Hotel  in  due  season, 
quite  ready  for  the  dinner  which  was  shortly  announced. 

The  hotel  takes  its  name  from  the  mountain  near  which  it  stands, 
and  Frank  suggested  that  the  mountain  was  called  the  Black  Head  be- 
cause it  wasn't  any  blacker  than  its  neighbors.  Shortly  after  leaving 
the  hotel  in  the  direction  of  Chamouni  the  wagons  passed  through  a 
series  of  arches  cut  in  the  rock  on  the  side  of  the  mountain.  The  driver 
explained  that  formerly  the  road  here  was  very  dangerous,  and  fatal 
accidents  were  by  no  means  infrequent.  There  are  yet  a  good  many 
places  along  the  road  which  Mrs.  Bassett  characterized  as  "  pokerish." 
When  they  reached  Chamouni  she  declared  that  she  had  greatly  en- 
joyed the  ride  and  was  glad  to  have  made  it,  but  she  did  not  care  to 
return  by  the  same  route  unless  it  was  the  only  one. 

"While  yet  six  or  eight  miles  from  Chamouni  our  friends  reached  the 
top  of  a  ridge  which  separates  the  waters  of  the  Rhone  from  those  of 
the  Arve.  It  is  in  the  valley  of  the  latter  stream  that  Chamouni  lies. 
What  interested  them  more  than  the  water-shed  was  the  view  which 
was  here  presented  of  the  chain  or  group  of  mountains  of  which  Mont 
Blanc  is  the  centre.  There  were  the  mountains  right  in  front  of  them, 
and  very  much  nearer  than  when  seen  from  Geneva.  Mary  said  it  al- 
most seemed  as  though  she  could  reach  out  and  touch  the  mountains. 
She  extended  her  hand  towards  them  as  she  spoke,  but  not  with  the 
movement  that  indicated  an  expectation  of  pressing  the  tips  of  her  fin- 
gers against  the  perpetual  snows  of  the  summit  and  upper  slopes  of  the 
monarch  of  the  mountains  of  Europe. 

From  the  veranda  of  the  hotel  at  Chamouni  they  had  an  excellent 
view  of  the  side  of  Mont  Blanc.  There  was  a  powerful  telescope  on  the 
veranda,  and  looking  through  it  they  could  easily  make  out  the  details 
of  the  picture  which  the  mountain  presented.  Frank  dh'ected  the  tele- 
scope to  a  little  point  of  rocks,  which  he  said  was  Les  Grands  Mulets 
(The  Great  Mules),  and  then  called  his  mother  to  look  through  the  glass 
without  moving  it  in  the  least  from  its  position. 

Mrs.  Bassett  looked,  and  after  a  few  moments  said  she  could  see 
something  that  resembled  a  house,  but  she  did  not  suppose  any  human 
beings  would  desire  to  live  there  even  for  a  day. 

"  There  is  a  house  there,"  said  Frank,  "  or  perhaps  it  would  be  bet- 
ter described  as  a  hut.  It  was  built  by  the  guides  to  facilitate  the  ascent 
of  Mont  Blanc.  There  are  two  huts  there,  and  for  the  past  few  years 
they  have  been  kept  open  in  summer  for  the  accommodation  of  travel- 
lers.    jSTow  let  me  adjust  the  glass  again.1' 


340 


THE  COY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


V., 


ROCK    OF   THE    GRANDS    MI/LETS. 


lie  directed  the  glass  so  that  it  pointed  at  the  slope  of  snow  above 
the  Grands  Mulets  and  in  the  direction  of  the  summit  of  the  great 
mountain.  When  Mrs.  Bassett  looked  again  she  exclaimed  that  the 
snow  was  covered  with  tracks,  as  though  a  drove  of  cattle  had  been 
along  there  and  strayed  considerably. 

"  There  certainly  must  be  no  small  number  of  people  travelling  over 
that  snow,"  said  she.  "  One  might  almost  call  it  a  beaten  road  where 
the  tracks  are  most  numerous,  jnst  beyond  the  huts." 

"  The  ascent  of  Mont  Blanc  is  not  so  momentous  an  affair  as  it  used 
to  be,"  was  the  reply.  "  It  is  fatiguing,  of  course,  and  there  is  a  certain 
amount  of  danger  connected  with  the  journey :  but  when  everything 
goes  well,  and  storms  do  not  interfere,  the  time  for  the  ascent  and  re- 
turn may  be  calculated  almost  to  an  hour.  So  surely  is  this  the  case 
that  tourists  accustomed  to  mountain  climbing,  and  having  two  days  to 
spare  for  the  ascent,  will  engage  places  in  the  diligence  for  the  third 
morning,  and  write  or  telegraph  for  rooms  at  the  hotels  in  Geneva." 

"And  how  long  is  it  since  the  first  ascent  of  the  mountain  was 
made  ?"  was  Mrs.  Bassett's  next  inquiry. 


FIRST   ASCENT   OF  MONT  BLANC.  341 

"  I  will  answer  that,"  was  the  reply,  "  in  a  few  minutes,  when  you 
have  seen  a  monument  which  is  one  of  the  sights  of  Chamouni."  So 
saying,  Frank  led  the  way  out  of  the  hotel  and  along  the  street  of  the 
village  whose  principal  revenues  are  drawn  from  the  summer  visitors 
who  wish  to  see  Mont  Blanc  and  its  neighbors  more  closely  than  they 
are  seen  from  Geneva  or  elsewhere  on  the  lake. 

It  did  not  take  long  to  reach  the  monument  to  which  their  steps 
were  directed — the  monument  to  the  memory  of  Jacques  Balmat,  who 
was  the  first  human  being  to  stand  on  the  summit  of  Mont  Blanc.  His 
feat  was  accomplished  in  the  summer  of  1786.  Several  attempts  had 
been  made  in  previous  years,  but  all  had  failed,  and  it  was  only  after 
enduring  great  fatigue  and  showing  the  most  clogged  perseverance  that 
Balmat  succeeded  in  his  effort  to  reach  the  top. 

"  On  his  return  to  Chamouni,"  said  Frank,  "  Balmat  was  so  exhaust- 
ed that  he  slept  for  forty-eight  hours  without  waking,  and  when  he  did 
wake  he  was  delirious.  Dr.  Paccard  was  called  in,  and  was  astonished 
to  hear  from  the  lips  of  his  patient,  who  talked  all  through  his  delirium, 
what  he  had  accomplished,  as  up  to  that  time  the  summit  of  the  mount- 
ain had  been  considered  inaccessible. 

"  Balmat  recovered  in  the  course  of  a  month,  and  then  he  and  the 
doctor  made  the  ascent  together.     The  secret  of  Balmat's  success  was 


PYRENEES 

€!K       SPAIN 


MOUNTAINS   OF   EUROPE. 


his  discovery  of  a  practicable  route.  All  previous  attempts  had  been 
made  by  the  way  of  the  Dome  du  Gouter,  which  is  connected  with 
Mont  Blanc  by  a  long  and  narrow  ridge.     It  is  so  narrow  that  nobody 


34:2  THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

could  walk  on  it,  but  was  obliged  to  creep  on  all-fours;  and  if  by  any 
accident  he  fell  off  on  either  side  he  would  go  down  hundreds  of  feet 
upon  the  sharp  rocks  or  into  crevasses  in  the  ice,  and  in  either  case  death 
was  certain.  Balmat  crept  farther  along  this  ridge  than  any  one  else 
had  done,  but  even  he  was  unable  to  go  far  enough  to  reach  Mont  Blanc. 

••  After  his  failure  there  he  spent  the  night  alone  on  the  Grand  Pla- 
teau, his  companions  returning  to  Chamouni.  Then  he  tried  to  go  up 
another  way,  and  succeeded,  and  thus  he  has  the  reputation  of  being, 
the  first  man  to  reach  the  summit  of  the  great  mountain." 

"  Do  the  climbers  of  the  present  day  follow  the  route  of  Balmat '." 

"  To  a  considerable  extent  they  do,  but  the  guides  now  know  the 
mountain  so  well  that  the  ascent  is  many  times  easier  than  it  was  a 
hundred  years  ago.  They  have  put  bridges  across  the  crevasses,  and 
ladders  in  the  places  where  they  are  most  needed,  and  they  have  made 
steps  in  the  walls  of  rock  and  ice,  and  smoothed  down  many  other  diffi- 
culties. From  fifty  to  a  hundred  tourists  make  the  ascent  every  year, 
and  as  each  tourist  requires  not  less  than  two  guides  and  porters  to  ac- 
company him,  you  can  understand  why  those  tracks  across  the  snow 
look  like  a  well-marked  road.  There  is  an  association  of  guides  here, 
whose  regular  business  it  is  to  accompany  travellers,  and  they  have  a 
code  of  rules  by  which  they  are  governed." 

"  I  beg  your  pardon  for  speaking  to  you,"  said  a  man  who  was  stand- 
ing near  the  party.  He  spoke  English  with  an  accent,  and  not  alto- 
gether with  grammatical  correctness,  but  it  was  sufficiently  good  to 
enable  him  to  be  perfectly  comprehended.  He  added  that  he  was  a 
member  of  the  association  of  guides,  and  had  been  several  times  to  the 
summit  of  Mont  Blanc  with  tourists. 

"I  heard  you  talking  of  it,"  said  he,  "and  perhaps  I  can  tell  you 
something  about  the  journey.  And  if  any  of  you  want  to  go  up  you 
may  probably  wish  to  have  English-speaking  guides." 

Frank  said  they  had  no  intention  of  ascending  Mont  Blanc  or  any 
other  of  the  snow-covered  mountains  of  Switzerland :  but.  as  a  matter 
of  curiosity,  they  would  like  to  know  the  time  and  expense  of  the  ex- 
cursion, so  that  they  could  tell  others. 

"If  you  are  good  walkers  and  climbers,"  said  the  guide,  "you  can 
start  from  here  in  the  morning  and  reach  the  Grands  Mulets  in  seven 
hours.  You  will  be  tired  enough  to  go  to  bed  very  early  :  anyway,  you 
must  get  up  so  as  to  start  at  four  in  the  morning,  and  if  you  do  you  can 
be  on  the  summit  of  Mont  Blanc  an  hour  before  noon.  Stay  there  two 
hours  and  then  start  down  the  mountain,  and  vou  mav  be  at  the  hotel 


FIRST    WOMAN   ON  MONT  BLxVNC. 


343 


in  Chamouni  before  the  sun  goes  down,  or  very  soon  after  sunset. 
Most  travellers  stay  the  second  night  at  the  Grands  Mulets,  and  come 
back  to  Chamouni  in  the  forenoon  of  the  third  day." 

Turning  to  Mary,  the  guide  said  that  a  good  many  ladies  had  been 
up  Mont  Blanc,  the  first  of  the  sex  being  a  Frenchwoman,  who  required 


X. 


*'i. 


m  - 


mm 

Ml 


MONT  BLANC  FROM  THE  MKR  I)E  GLACE. 


her  guides  and  porters  to  hold  her  at  arms'  length  in  the  air  on  the  sum- 
mit, so  that  she  could  claim  to  have  been  higher  up  than  any  one  else. 
"Hardly  a  year  passes,"  he  added,  "that  the  journey  is  not  made  by 
American  or  English  women,  and  you  can  see  their  names  at  the  office 
of  the  association,  where  the  books  are  open." 

"  But  you  haven't  told  us  how  much  it  costs  to  make  the  journey  to 
the  top  of  the  great  mountain,"  said  Mrs.  Bassett. 

"  I  was  coming  to  that,"  he  answered,  promptly.  "  The  fee  of  a 
guide  is  one  hundred  francs,  and  of  a  porter  fifty  francs ;  and  then  you 
must  buy  provisions,  alpenstocks,  and  other  things.  There  should  be  a 
guide  and  a  porter  for  each  tourist,  though  sometimes  they  have  only 
one  guide  for  all,  and  a  porter  for  each  one.  But  really  each  traveller 
should  have  a  guide  and  a  porter  to  himself." 

Fred  entered  into  a  brief  mental  calculation,  and  decided  that  the 


344        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

ascent  of  Mont  Blanc  would  require  a  disbursement  of  not  less  than 
fifty  dollars  for  each  one  who  made  it.  As  he  announced  the  result  to 
the  others  the  guide  interrupted  him  with  the  suggestion  that  if  they 
did  not  care  to  ascend  to  the  top  of  Mont  Blanc  they  could  ascend  the 
Dome  du  Gouter,  which  would  only  take  about  four  hours  from  the 
Grands  Mulcts.  "That  will  not  cost  as  much,"  said  he.  "as  the  fee  of 
the  guide  is  only  sixty  francs." 

The  conversation  then  turned  upon  accidents,  and  the  guide  assured 
them  that  they  need  have  no  fears  on  that  score.  "  You  must  not  think 
of  going  up  in  rainy  or  foggy  weather,"  he  said,  "  and  when  the  guide 
says  'stop'  you  must  do  as  he  tells  you.  Sometimes  storms  come  up 
suddenly,  but  generally  we  can  foresee  them,  and  get  to  shelter  before 
the)'  come.  The  worst  accident  up  to  this  time  is  the  one  that  hap- 
pened in  1S70,  when  a  party  of  eleven  were  lost  in  a  snow-storm.  There 
were  two  Americans  in  the  party — Mr.  Randall,  of  Xewburyport.  ami 
Dr.  Beane,  of  Baltimore— and  one  Englishman,  Rev.  Mr.  M'C'orkendale. 
The  rest  were  guides  and  porters  from  Chamouni." 

Mrs.  Bassett  asked  how  it  happened,  and  the  guide  thus  explained  : 

"  They  were  watched  from  Chamouni,  as  all  parties  are  watched, 
through  the  telescopes,  and  were  seen  on  the  summit  of  Mont  Blanc. 
The  weather  was  fine  when  they  started  from  here,  and  it  was  fine  the 
next  morning  and  all  the  way  up  to  the  top.  The  storm  came  on  while 
they  were  coming  back;  it  was  on  a  Tuesday  morning,  and  the  last 
seen  of  them  they  were  huddled  together  and  clinging  to  each  other  on 
a  point  of  rock  we  call  the  Dromedary's  Hump.  The  snow  was  whirl- 
ing all  around  them,  and  it  was  the  whirling  snow  that  shut  them  out 
of  sight.  Wednesday  they  did  not  come  back,  and  Thursday  a  party 
was  organized  to  go  in  search  of  them.  All  the  guides  were  ready  to 
volunteer,  but  the  chief  said  that  no  married  men  could  go,  as  it  was  a 
dangerous  journey.  I  was  the  youngest  of  the  guides  then,  and  wasn't 
married,  and  so  I  was  one  of  the  party. 

"  The  storm  did  not  stop,  and  we  could  not  get  to  where  the  party 
was  last  seen,  though  we  tried  our  best  to  do  so.  We  came  back,  and 
three  days  later  we  went  again,  with  the  same  result.  It  was  not  till 
ten  days  after  the  party  was  last  seen  that  any  trace  of  it  was  discov- 
ered. The  telescopes  had  been  sweeping  the  sides  of  the  mountain,  and 
finally  some  black  spots  were  seen  on  one  of  the  slopes  and  searchers 
went  out  at  once  to  see  what  they  were. 

"  Those  black  spots  were  the  bodies  of  the  men  who  had  perished. 
On  that  of  Dr.  Beane,  the  Baltimore  gentleman,  was  a  note -book,  in 


L 

U 

Q 
>& 

bT  = 

5.  CD 

—  o 

&  O 

as 


c  =^ 


wwmsft 


346        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

which  he  wrote  that  they  were  caught  in  a  snow-whirlwind,  and  had 
spent  the  night  between  Tuesday  and  Wednesday  in  a  grotto  of  snow. 
The  last  entry  was  made  on  Wednesday  evening,  and  lie  said  they  were 
out  of  provisions,  his  feet  were  already  frozen,  and  he  had  only  strength 
to  write  those  words.  The  same  year  an  English  lady  and  a  guide  fell 
into  a  crevasse  and  were  killed.  Once  a  party  of  three  gentlemen  and 
twelve  guides  and  porters  were  climbing  the  slope  of  Mont  Blanc, 
when  the  new  snow  slipped  on  the  old  and  carried  it  along  with  them. 
Three  of  the  foremost  guides  were  thrown  into  a  deep  crevasse  and 
killed ;  the  rest  of  the  party  escaped  with  their  lives  almost  by  a  mir- 
acle, but  most  of  them  were  severely  bruised." 

Mrs.  Bassett  asked  the  guide  to  describe  a  crevasse. 

■■  Well,  madame,"  he  answered,  "a  crevasse  is  what  you  would  call, 
in  English,  a  gap  or  an  opening,  and  I  believe  you  apply  the  term  in 
America  to  a  break  in  the  banks  of  a  river.  Here  with  us  it  is  a  crack 
in  the  ice  or  rock  ;  it  varies  all  the  way  from  a  few  inches  or  a  foot  or 
more  to  many  feet  in  width  at  the  top,  and  it  narrows  at  the  bottom, 
so  that  it  has  the  shape  of  a  wedge.  When  a  person  falls  into  a  cre- 
vasse of  great  depth  his  rescue  is  impossible ;  and  if  he  is  not  killed  by 
the  fall,  he  is  soon  chilled  to  death  by  the  cold  of  the  sides  of  the  rock 
or  ice  against  which  he  is  pressed." 

Then  the  guide  explained  that  every  mountain  climber  carries  an 
alpenstock,  which  is  a  wooden  staff  six  or  seven  feet  long,  and  pointed 
with  iron  at  one  end.  This  staff  is  used  to  assist  in  ascending  the  steep 
slopes,  or  to  check  the  speed  when  one  is  descending  too  fast.  When  a 
man  is  walking  on  new  snow  that  may  conceal  crevasses  in  the  ice  be- 
low it  the  alpenstock  is  held  horizontally  beneath  the  right  arm,  and 
grasped  about  midway ;  if  he  breaks  through  the  snow  and  is  in  danger 
of  falling  into  the  crevasse,  the  alpenstock,  catching  on  the  two  sides, 
may  save  him.  As  an  additional  precaution  the  members  of  a  party 
are  fastened  together  with  ropes  around  their  waists,  and  about  six  feet 
apart.  The  most  experienced  guide  takes  the  lead,  and  chooses  the  path 
of  least  danger.  If  any  one  of  the  party  sinks  through  the  snow  into 
a  crevasse  the  rope  saves  him  from  falling.  In  several  instances  lives 
have  been  lost  in  consequence  of  a  neglect  of  this  precaution. 

The  guide  narrated  several  incidents  of  Alpine  climbing,  and  the 
conversation  came  to  an  end  at  the  door  of  the  office  of  the  association, 
where  Frank  arranged  for  a  guide  and  four  saddle-mules  to  take  the 
party  to  Montanvert  on  the  following  morning.  The  youths  declined 
the  suggestion  to  ascend  Mont  Blanc,  and  also  that  of  going  as  far  as 


RIDE  TO  MONTANVERT. 


341 


the  Grands  Mulets.  The  guide 
assured  them  that  it  was  an 
easy  journey,  and  almost  equal 
to  climbing  the  great  mountain, 
but  all  his  assurances  and  per- 
suasion availed  nothing. 

"It  was  a  jolly  ride  on  the 
backs  of  mules,"  said  Mary,  "  al- 
though the  mule  I  started  on 
had  a  motion  very  much  like 
that  of  a  camel.  At  every  step 
I  was  shaken  back  and  forth, 
and  we  had  not  gone  a  mile 
before  I  asked  Frank  or  Fred 
to  change  with  me,  as  I  was 
afraid  I  might  get  sea-sick.  The 
guide  said  the  mule  would  be 
all  right  after  a  while  when  he 
got  his  joints  properly  lubricat- 
ed. The  prediction  proved  to 
be  fairly  correct,  but  I'm  sure 
the  beast  will  never  be  popular, 
except  with  persons  suffering 
from  dyspepsia.  But  this  isn't 
telling  of  the  Montanvert. 

"  It  is  a  low  mountain  on 
the  east  side  of  the  valley  of 
Chamouni,  and  the  object  of 
going  there  is  to  see  the  famous 
glacier  known  as  the  Mer  de 
Glace,  or  Sea  of  Ice.  It  is 
formed  by  three  glaciers  that 
come  together  up  in  the  mount- 
ains, and  unite  into  a  stream 
twelve  miles  long  and  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  wide  that  flows  down 
into  the  valley  of  Chamouni 
where  it  is  melted  by  the 
warmth  of  the  place  and  forms 

'•  Up  and  up  along  the  bridle- 


4K;  r-m- 


MMvL 


1  ijKibfSjj). 


m 


FALLING    INTO    A    CREVASSE. 

the  source  of  the  river  Arveyron. 
path  we  went,  and  in  little  more  than 


348 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


two  hours  from  the  time  we  started  we 
scended  from  our  long-eared  steeds. 


m- 


s 


<H®' 


^  'a 


A    DIFFICULT    r.OAD. 


were  at  our  destination,  and  de- 
There  was  the  Mer  de  Glace  in 

full  view  for  about  six  miles  up 
in  the  mountains.  I  can  best 
describe  it  by  quoting  the  words 
of  De  Saussure,  the  famous  nat- 
uralist, who  first  studied  it  sci- 
entifically. Here  is  what  he 
says  about  it : 

"  •  The  surface  of  the  Mer 
de  Glace  resembles  a  sea  sud- 
denly frozen  —  not  during  a 
tempest,  but  when  the  wind  has 
subsided,  and  the  waves,  al- 
though still  high,  have  become 
blunted  and  rounded.  These 
great  waves  are  nearly  parallel 
to  the  length  of  the  glacier,  and 
are  intersected  by  transverse 
crevasses,  the  interior  of  which 
appears  blue,  while  the  ice  is 
white  on  the  surface.' 

'•  This  description  was  writ- 
ten a  hundred  years  ago.  and  is 
as  correct  to-day  as  when  it  was 
penned.  If  I  were  to  criticise 
it  at  all,  it  would  lie  that  the 
ice  is  not  altogether  white  on 
the  surface ;  it  is  discolored  by 
the  dirt  that  it  accumulates  on 
the  way,  and  by  the  dust  that 
has  blown  over  it  from  the 
roads  that  have  been  made  of 
late  years,  but  had  not  been 
thought  of  when  the  great  pro- 
fessor was  here.  But  perhaps 
you  may  not  know  what  a 
glacier  is.  and  what  causes  it. 
"Well,  if  you  don't,  just  listen 
to    Fred,    who    has    been    ap- 


DESCRIPTION   OF  A  GLACIER.  349 

pointed  scientist  for  this  exploring  expedition  from  Chamouni  to  Mon- 
tanvert  and  the  Mer  de  Glace." 

"  A  glacier,"  says  Fred,  "  is  a  mass  of  ice  that  flows  like  a  river, 
with  the  difference  that  where  a  river  flows  one,  two,  or  more  miles  an 
hour,  the  glacier  only  moves  a  few  inches  in  a  day,  perhaps  only  an 
inch  or  two,  and  in  winter  hardly  any  perceptible  distance.  It  is  formed 
of  the  granular  snow  that  falls  in  the  highest  Alpine  regions  above  the 
snow  line  (eight  or  nine  thousand  feet),  and  accumulates  in  the  valleys 
and  in  the  clefts  of  the  rocks.  It  is  partially  melted  by  the  heat  of  the 
sun  during  the  warm  days,  but  when  the  cold  nights  come  on  it  is 
frozen  into  a  solid  mass ;  then  another  layer  of  snow  falls  on  it  and  is 
turned  to  ice,  and  after  this  another  and  another,  till  it  has  attained 
many  feet  in  thickness,  sometimes  as  much  as  a  thousand  feet  or  even 
more,  and  fills  the  valley  where  it  formed. 

"  As  the  glacier  is  warmed  by  the  sun  shining  upon  it,  it  becomes 
softened  a  little,  and  then  the  great  weight  of  the  mass  causes  it  to  slide 
down  the  valley,  where  it  lies.  It  tears  away  the  rock  and  ploughs  up 
the  earth  as  it  moves  along,  and  this  is  what  makes  the  ice  at  the 
edge  of  the  glacier  more  or  less  dirty.  Scientists  say  that  the  prog, 
ress  of  the  glacier  is  mainly  due  to  mechanical  pressure  of  the  mass 
above.  Snow  and  rain  keep  the  upper  portions  of  the  glacier  sup- 
plied, while  the  heat  in  the  valleys  at  the  lower  extremity  melts  it 
away  and  makes  it  the  source  of  a  river. 

"  Perhaps  jrou  will  ask  how  it  is  known  that  a  glacier  moves,  when 
its  motion  is  so  slow  that  it  cannot  be  seen.  Agassiz  and  others  found 
this  out  by  setting  up  rows  of  stakes  from  one  side  of  a  glacier  to  the 
other.  The  rows  were  perfectly  straight  across,  and  marks  were  made 
on  the  rocks  at  each  end  of  a  row. 

"  The  next  day  it  was  found  that  the  stakes  near  the  middle  were 
just  a  little  out  of  a  straight  line,  being  curved  towards  the  lower  end 
of  the  glacier,  and  this  curvature  increased  day  by  day  and  week  by 
week.  In  this  waj*-  they  have  found  in  some  years  that  the  flow  of  the 
Mer  de  Glace,  opposite  where  we  are  now  standing,  has  exceeded  eight 
hundred  feet,  but  is  usually  not  more  than  six  hundred.  The  progress 
is  less  during  the  winter  than  in  summer,  and  in  the  coldest  part  of  the 
winter  it  ceases  almost  entirely. 

"  The  ice  of  a  glacier  is  granular,  and  not  like  the  solid  ice  which 
forms  in  a  pond  or  river  in  winter.  Take  a  piece  of  common  ice  and 
pour  a  little  claret  wine  or  red  ink  upon  it,  and  the  liquid  will  run  over 
the  surface  without  penetrating  the  interior ;  do  the  same  to  a  piece  of 


350 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IX  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


Oji  v 


\ 


glacier  ice,  and  you 
will  find  that  the  red 
liquid  goes  all  through 
it,  as  it  would  through 

a  hard  snow-hall." 

Mrs.  Bassett  re- 
mained on  the  veran- 
da of  the  hotel  which 
overlooks    the  Mer 
de    Glace,   while   the 
younger  portion  of 
the  party  descended 
the   steep  hill-side  to 
take   a  walk   on   the 
ice.    They  went  about 
half  way  across   and 
then  returned.     By 
the  time  they  reached 
they  were  quite  red   in 
the  cheeks,  and  possessed  excellent 
appetites,  which  they  proceeded  to 
appease  in  the  customary  manner. 
Mary  thought  it  was  capital  fun  to 
sit  at  a  neat  and  well-supplied  ta- 
ble, and  look   out   of   the   window 
upon   the   great  river  of   ice  that 
stretched  away  till  it  was  lust  in  a 
bend  of   its   rocky  channel  among 
the  Alps. 


ALPINE   r.OSES. 


SOUVENIRS  OF   TRAVEL. 


351 


CHAPTER   XX. 

SOUVENIRS  OF  SWITZERLAND.— WOOD-CARVINGS  AND  ALPENSTOCKS.— INTEREST- 
ING SOUVENIR  OF  TRAVELS  THAT  WERE  NOT  MADE.  — EXCURSION  TO  THE 
FLEGERE.— CHAMOUNI  TO  GENEVA  AND  BERNE.— THE  SWISS  CAPITAL.— HAUNT 
OF  THE  BEARS.— THE  CATHEDRAL  AND  ITS  TERRACE.— VIEW  OF  THE  MOUNT- 
AINS OF  THE  BERNESE  OBERLAND.  —  THE  "AFTER-GLOW."  — CURIOUS  FOUNT- 
AINS. —  PROCESSION  OF  THE  BEARS. —  VISIT  TO  THE  BEAR-PITS;  HOW  THE 
ANIMALS  ARE  FED.— THE  CHAMOIS,  AND  HOW  HE  IS  HUNTED.— BURGDORF  AND 
PESTALOZZI.— BALE.— ON  THE  BANKS  OF  THE  RHINE.— CATHEDRAL  AND  MU- 
SEUM.—HANS  HOLBEIN. 


rf^IIE  traveller  in  Switzerland  is  frequently  urged  by  dealers  to  pur- 
-*-    chase  souvenirs  of  his  visit,  and  in  no  place  is  there  a  greater  num- 
ber of  curiosities  offered  and  pressed 
upon  him  than  at  Chamouni. 

There  are  specimens  of  the 
stones  of  the  mountains  made  into 
paper-weights,  statuettes,  and  other 
ornaments;  there  are  wood- carv- 
ings in  endless  variety;  alpenstocks 
of  varying  lengths  and  sizes  ;  Swiss 
laces  and  other  household  produc- 
tions ;  stuffed  birds  and  quadrupeds 
of  the  Alps ;  and  last,  but  not  by 
any  means  least,  a  great  variety 
of  carefully  dried  and  pressed  flow- 
ers of    the  country. 

These  souvenirs  had  a  great  at- 
traction for  Mary,  and  she  depleted 
her  purse  in  the  purchase  of  little 
albums  of  pressed  flowers,  which 
she  found  very  convenient  to  send 
by  mail  to  her  friends  at  home. 
The  Swiss  show  a  great  deal  of 
taste  in  arranging  their  floral  prod- 


A    MOUNTAIN    CLIMBER. 


.- 


352        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

ucts  for  preservation  in  this  way,  as  every  visitor  to  the  country  can 
testify  from  personal  observation. 

The  most  famous  of  the  flowers  of  Switzerland  is  the  edelweiss;  it 
grows  in  the  higher  elevations  of  the  mountains,  and  is  popularly  sup- 
posed to  flourish  at  the  edge  of  the  snow  and  ice.  It  is  often  found 
growing  within  a  few  inches  of  a  bank  of  snow,  and  many  a  climber 
among  the  mountains  has  sat  down  to  rest  where  he  could  cool  his  lips 
with  snow  lifted  from  its  resting-place  with  one  hand  while  he  plucked 
and  tenderly  held  the  edelweiss  with  the  other. 

Mrs.  Bassett  became  much  interested  in  Mary's  account  of  this  floral 
favorite  of  Switzerland,  and  asked  the  meaning  of  its  name. 

"  Edel  means  'noble,'"  said  Mary,  in  reply  to  her  mother's  query, 
"and  weiss  means  'white.'  The  scientific  name  of  the  flower  is  Leon- 
topodium  alpim/um,  and  they  say  it  is  found  nowhere  else  in  the  world. 
I  am  not  quite  sure  of  this,  as  there  is  a  flower  very  much  like  it,  and 
growing  under  similar  conditions,  in  the  Rocky  Mountains  and  the 
Sierra  JSevadas  of  America ;  but  whether  it  is  identical  with  the  edel- 
weiss or  not  I'm  unable  to  say." 

Mary  obtained  several  fresh  specimens  of  the  flower,  and  after  mak- 
ing a  careful  sketch  of  one  of  them,  she  placed  it  and  its  companions 
between  the  leaves  of  a  book,  where  they  would  be  safely  preserved. 

Our  friends  declined  to  equip  themselves  with  alpenstocks,  much  to 
the  regret  of  the  dealers  in  those  articles.  Tourists  who  climb  the  hills 
and  mountains  of  Switzerland  preserve  their  alpenstocks  as  souvenirs 
and  records  of  their  journey.  It  is  the  custom  to  burn  into  the  surface 
of  the  stick  the  name  of  each  place  visited,  and  the  custom  has  become 
so  general  that  the  business  of  thus  marking  alpenstocks  has  grown  to 
no  small  importance.  In  every  village  can  be  seen  the  announcement, 
"7W  on  brule  des  latons"1  (Here  we  mark  sticks);  and  for  a  few  cents 
one  can  have  his  alpenstock  marked  with  the  name  of  any  place  he  has 
visited,  and  also  with  any  other  names  for  which  he  is  willing  to  pay. 
The  marking  is  done  with  steel  or  iron  types  set  in  a  frame,  and  held  in 
a  fire  until  warmed  to  redness;  then  the  hot  types  are  applied  to  the 
surface  of  the  stick,  and  the  name  is  burned  into  it  deep  enough  to  re- 
move all  possibility  of  erasure  without  cutting  away  a  portion  of  the 
wood.  The  burning  is  begun  at  one  end  of  the  stick,  and  the  names 
run  around  it  in  a  spiral  form,  sometimes  the  entire  length. 

At  the  hotel  in  Chamouni  our  friends  made  the  acquaintance  of  an 
American,  an  elderly  man  from  a  western  city  of  the  United  States, 
who  was  accompanied  by  his  family.     The  alpenstock  of  this  man  was 


RECORDS   OF   MOUNTAIN  CLIMBING. 


353 


A 


THE    EDELWEISS. 


a  marvel  to  behold,  as  it 
was    covered    from    one 

nd  to  the  other  —  and  a  very  long  stick  it  was — 
with  Alpine  names  of  a  high  order.  Frank  read  the 
list  with  amazement,  especially  when  he  observed  that 
the  owner  of  the  stick  was  well  along  in  years,  was 
"  fat  and  scant  of  breath,"  as  Hamlet  is  said  to  have 
been,  and  seemed  greatly  disinclined  to  physical  exer- 
tion. And  as  Frank  read  the  names — "  Mont  Blanc, 
Monte  Rosa,  Matterhorn,  Jungfrau,  Mont  Cervin,  Dome 
du  Gouter,  Great  Saint-Bernard,  Eiffel  berg,  Glacier  du 
Rhone,  Eggischhorn,  Col  du  Mont  Tendu,'1  and  many 
others — his  wonder  grew  apace.  Of  course  he  was  too 
polite  to  indicate  by  word  or  manner  that  he  doubted 
the  record,  but  he  certainly  did  question  it  mentally. 

The  American  tourist  relieved  his  perplexity  by  explaining  as  follows  : 
"  Don't  suppose  I've  been  to  all  the  places  on  that  stick.  I  bought 
it  at  a  shop  here  yesterday  morning,  and  told  the  man  who  sold  it  to 
me  just  how  I  wanted  it  fixed.  I  wanted  him  to  cover  it  with  as  much 
of  Switzerland  as  it  would  hold,  and  I  guess  he's  earned  the  ten  francs 
he  charged  me  for  the  job.  He  wanted  half  a  franc  for  each  name,  but 
I  told  him  it  was  a  wholesale  affair,  and  he  must  make  a  big  discount. 
Ten  francs  is  cheap  for  seeing  all  those  places.  Won't  that  stick  make 
a  sensation  among  my  neighbors  when  I  get  it  home  and  show  it !" 

Frank  agreed  with  him  that  it  would  certainly  make  a  sensation, 
and  then  the  subject  was  dropped.     It  is  fair  to  say  that  this  enterpris- 

23 


354 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IX  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


ins;  American  is  not  by  any  means  the  only  traveller  who  has  exagger- 
ated  the  record  of  his  travels  in  Switzerland  by  means  of  the  names  of 
mountains  and  other  places  on  his  alpenstock. 

On  the  second  day  of  their  stay  at  Chamouni  our  friends  visited  the 
Flearere,  an  excursion  similar  to  that  to  Montanvert,  as  the  time  and 
mode  of  travel  are  very  much  the  same.  From  the  Flegere  they  had  a 
view  of  the  entire  chain  of  Mont  Blanc,  from  the  Col  de  Balme  to  the 
Glacier  des  Bossons.  The  view  embraced  the  slope  of  Mont  Blanc  from 
base  to  summit,  and  Mrs.  Bassett  said  it  was  almost  as  good  as  climbing 
the  peak,  and  nowhere  near  as  fatiguing.  Mary  thought  it  was  the 
nearest  that  she  was  ever  likely  to  come  to  climbing  Mont  Blanc,  and 
her  brother  and  cousin  declared  themselves  of  the  same  opinion. 


A    SWISS    VILLAGE. 


FROM   CHAMOUXI   TO  BERNE.  355 

The  day  after  the  visit  to  the  Flegere  our  friends  made  an  early 
start  for  Geneva.  They  were  intending  to  travel  by  diligence,  but  while 
on  his  way  to  the  diligence  office  Frank  was  accosted  by  a.  man  who 
offered  a  large  landau  for  the  same  price  as  the  seats  in  the  diligence. 
The  carriage  and  horses  were  inspected  and  found  satisfactory,  and  the 
bargain  was  quickly  completed.  Opportunities  for  securing  return  car- 
riages occur  daily,  as  the  travel  from  Geneva  to  Chamouni  is  greater 
than  that  in  the  contraiy  direction. 

They  were  whirled  rapidly  over  an  excellent  road,  and  accomplished 
the  journey  (fifty-three  and  one-half  miles)  in  little  more  than  seven 
hours,  including  a  halt  at  Sallanches  for  dinner.  At  Geneva  they  drove 
directly  to  the  railway  station,  where  they  caught  a  train  for  Berne, 
and,  were  in  the  capital  of  Switzerland  soon  after  sunset. 

Fred  was  appointed  the  historian  of  the  occasion,  and  here  is  what 
he  says  of  this  venerable  and  picturesque  city : 

"  Berne  looks  older  than  Geneva,  because  it  has  preserved  more  of 
its  ancient  features,  but  in  point  of  fact  it  is  quite  modern  by  compari- 
son. According  to  history  and  tradition  it  was  founded  in  1191  by 
Berthold  V ,  who  killed  a  bear  on  this  spot,  and  therefore  gave  it  the 
name  of  Berne,  which  means  '  bear.'  Mary  says  that  while  we  are  in 
this  city  we  should  heed  the  motto, '  Bear  and  forbear.'  I  suppose  she 
means  this  for  a  joke,  though  she  does  not  say  so. 

"  I  don't  wonder  that  the  site  was  chosen  for  building  a  city,  as  it 
was  an  excellent  one  in  the  time  when  Berne  was  founded.  The  river 
Aar  surrounds  it  on  three  sides,  and  therefore  makes  a  natural  ditch  for 
protection.  Fortifications  were  erected  all  around  the  inside  of  the  bend 
of  the  river  and  across  the  neck  of  the  land,  which  was  unprotected. 
The  city  is  about  one  hundred  feet  above  the  river,  and  altogether  the 
position  was  easy  of  defence  in  the  days  before  the  invention  of  artil- 
lery. It  was  besieged  several  times,  but  was  never  taken  by  an  enemy 
until  1T9S,  when  the  French  captured  it.  The}7  found  it  an  excellent 
prize,  as  the  treasury  contained  $6,000,000  worth  of  coin. 

"  Berne  isn't  a  large  city,  although  a  rich  one.  It  has  a  population 
of  -40,000,  and  all  but  3000  of  them  are  Protestants— in  fact,  the  whole 
Canton  of  Berne  is  very  much  more  Protestant  than  Catholic.  The 
Beraese  took  the  side  of  the  Reformation  in  152S,  and  the  great  major- 
ity of  them  have  been  sturdy  Reformers  ever  since. 

""We  have  had  some  delightful  walks  around  the  city,  and  the  de- 
light comes  from  several  conditions.  The  streets  are  well  paved, 
straight,  and  certainly  wider  than  one  expects  to  find  the  streets  in  a 


356 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


fe'te'-.i'c5 


AN    ARCADE    IN     BERNE. 


city  of  its  age.    Many  of 
the  houses  are  built  on 
arches,  and  the  sidewalks  are  cov- 
ered by  archways,  just  as  are  those 
of  Chester  in  England.     When  the 
sun    is   hot,  as    it   often   is    in  the 
middle  of  the  day,  the  arcades  are 
charmingly  shaded.    In  many  places 
the  arches  are  built  over  the  cross 
streets  at  the  intersections,  so  that  you  may  wander  all  about  without 
needing  umbrella  or  parasol  against  rain  or  sun. 

"  Of  course  we  went  to  the  cathedral,  which  is  one  of  the  sights  of 
Berne;  it  is  a  Gothic  edifice,  which  was  founded  in  14-21  and  completed 
one  hundred  and  fifty  years  later,  and  it  has  been  restored  and  repaired 
thoroughly  within  the  last  half  century.  "We  went  through  the  form 
of  admiring  the  paintings,  sculpture,  and  monuments,  but  did  not  stay 
long  in  the  building,  as  we  found  a  good  deal  of  attraction  in  the  Cathe- 
dral Terrace,  which  was  formerly  the  church-yard,  but  is  now  a  pleasure 
resort  for  the  public.  There  are  gravel-walks  among  the  trees,  and 
there  is  an  abundance  of  seats,  where  one  may  rest  as  long  as  he  likes. 

"  What  makes  the  terrace  specially  attractive  is  the  fine  view  it  pre- 
sents of  the  mountains  of  the  Bernese  Oberland.     The  southern  horizon 


SEEING   THE  "AFTER-GLOW. 


357 


is  filled  with  these  mountains,  and  their  snowy  peaks  cut  sharply  against 
the  clear  blue  sky.  Between  us  and  the  mountains  is  the  undulating 
lowland  of  the  canton,  and  its  dark  colors  make  a  delightful  contrast  to 
the  whiteness  of  the  snowy  range.  We  sat  there  a  long  time  study- 
ing the  scene,  and  we  came  again  just  at  sunset  in  the  hope  of  seeing 
the  much-talked-of  'glow  of  the  Alps,'  and  the  nachluhen,  or  'after- 
glow.'  We  were  fortunate  in  both,  and  shall  long  remember  the  occasion. 

"  There  were  thin  clouds  in  the 
western  horizon,  and  the  setting  sun 
seemed  to  be  struggling  to  pierce 
them,  and  succeeding  in  the  struggle. 
The  valleys  grew  dark  with  the  even- 
ing shadows,  and  even  the  mountains 
seemed  to  have  lost  the  evening  light 
and  were  threatened  with  speedy  ob- 
scurity. Then  a  new  light  came,  and 
from  base  to  summit  the  whole  range 
of  the  mountains  was  warmed  into 
a  brilliancy  that  revealed  all  their 
outlines  with  perfect  distinctness,  as 
though  a  million  electric  lights  had 
suddenly  been  turned  upon  them. 
This  was  the  famous  '  after -glow,'  of 
which  the  Bernese  people  are  very 
fond,  if  we  may  judge  by  the  numbers 
of  them  who  were  there  to  see  it. 

"  We  haven't  yet  seen  a  city  so 
well  supplied  with  water  as  is  the 
capital  of  Switzerland.  There  are 
many  fountains  in  the  streets,  and 
all  are  abundantly  supplied  ;  there  is 
plenty  of  water  for  all  the  houses, 
and  there  are  rills  in  most  of  the 
streets,  so  that  there  is  no  excuse  for 
any  but  the  cleanest  of  walks  and 
drives.  Most  of  the  fountains  are 
old  and  some  are  very  cjuaint.  The 
quaintest  of  all  is  the  Kindlifresser- 
Brunnen,  or  Fountain  of  the  Ogre. 
On  the  top  of  it  is  the  figure  of  an 


FOUNTAIN    OF   THE    OGRE. 


358       THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

ogre,  who  is  represented  in  the  act  of  eating  a  child,  while  several 
children,  who  are  evidently  intended  for  the  same  fate  as  the  one  in  his 
mouth,  are  sticking  from  his  pockets ;  below  him  is  a  troop  of  armed 
bears,  and  altogether  the  fountain  is  a  great  deal  more  grotesque  than 
handsome,  and  attracts  much  attention. 

"  Speaking  of  bears  is  a  reminder  that  wherever  you  go  in  Berne 
yon  see  bruin  in  one  form  or  another.  Bears  are  here  in  statues,  on 
shields  and  bass-reliefs,  carved  in  wood  as  toys  or  souvenirs,  printed  in 
innumerable  pictures,  or  painted  on  walls  and  canvas.  On  the  clock- 
tower  in  the  principal  square  is  a  troop  of  bears  that  go  through  a  per- 
formance two  minutes  before  every  hour,  and  they  have  been  going 
through  it  without  change  for  several  centuries.  We  timed  our  visit  so 
as  to  '  take  in  the  bear  show,'  as  Mary  expressed  it ;  in  fact,  we  have 
seen  it  several  times,  so  that  we  ought  to  tell  exactly  what  the  animals 
do.     Mary  has  made  a  memorandum  of  the  performance,  and  here  it  is : 

"'A  wooden  cockcrows  at  three  minutes  before  the  hour,  and  he 
flaps  his  wings  quite  naturally  while  he  crows.  Then  the  bears  march 
out  in  procession  before  an  old  man  with  a  beard,  who  is  in  a  sitting 
posture.  A  harlequin  then  strikes  on  a  bell  the  number  of  strokes  indi- 
cating the  hour,  and  when  the  last  stroke  sounds,  the  old  man  with  the 
beard  turns  an  hour-glass,  and  immediately  proceeds  to  count  the  hour 
by  raising  his  sceptre  and  opening  his  mouth.  He  represents  Father 
Time,  and  each  time  he  opens  his  mouth  the  bear  that  is  nearest  to  him 
nods  his  head.  While  Time  and  the  bear  are  busy  in  this  way,  a  figure 
in  the  tower  strikes  the  hour  on  a  bell,  and  then  the  cock  crows  and 
ends  the  show ;  he  also  crowed  after  the  harlequin  indicated  the  hour, 
so  that  we  had  three  crows  from  him  altogether.  His  voice  is  cracked, 
and  no  wonder,  when  you  remember  how  long  a  time  he  has  been  here 
and  never  missed  an  hour.     Poor  old  fellow,  how  I  pity  him  '.' 

"After  seeing-  the  bears  at  the  clock -tower,  Marv  said  it  was  time 
for  us  to  see  the  real  live  bears  in  the  bear-pits  on  the  other  side  of  the 
Aar.  We  agreed  with  her;  and  as  we  had  been  walking  and  lounging 
for  some  time,  we  engaged  a  carriage,  which  was  neither  new  nor  hand- 
some but  very  comfortable,  to  take  us  to  the  home  of  the  bears,  or 
JBaren  Graben,  as  they  call  it  here. 

"  To  get  there  we  had  to  cross  the  river,  which  we  did  on  a  magnifi- 
cent viaduct,  called  the  Nydeck  Bridge.  I  call  it  a  viaduct,  because  the 
part  over  the  river  is  the  least  of  it,  the  prolongation  on  the  town  side 
consisting  of  a  series  of  arches ;  over  the  river  there  is  an  arch  100  feet 
high,  with  a  span  of  160  feet,  so  you  can  understand  what  a  fine  bridge 


FEEDING   THE   BEARS.  359 

it  is.  "We  were  still  admiring  it  when  the  carriage  stopped  at  the  bears7 
den,  "which  is  close  to  the  farther  end  of  the  bridge. 

"  Tradition  says  that  bears  have  been  maintained  by  the  municipal- 
ity of  Berne  ever  since  the  city  was  founded.  This  may  not  be  literally 
true,  but  it  is  certain  that  they  have  been  kept  for  several  centuries, 
with  the  exception  of  a  short  time  in  1798,  when  the  French  captors  of 
Berne  took  the  bears  that  were  then  here,  and  sent  them  to  Faris. 
Just  as  soon  as  they  could  do  so  the  authorities  bought  a  new  lot  of 
bruins  and  restocked  their  pits,  and  they  have  never  been  without  the 
animals  for  a  single  day  since  that  time. 

"  The  den,  or  pit,  is  a  sort  of  circular  well  of  stone  with  an  iron  rail- 
ing around  the  top.  In  the  bottom  of  the  pit  there  are  retreats,  or  dens, 
for  the  bears,  and  these  dens  have  sliding  doors  of  iron,  so  that  the  an- 
imals can  be  shut  in  and  protected  on  cold  nights.  There  is  a  dividing 
wall  across  the  centre  of  the  pit  with  a  doorway  through  it,  and  by 
coaxing  the  bears  into  one  side  and  closing  the  doors  their  keepers  can 
clean  out  the  pit  without  danger  of  being  attacked.  The  bears  are 
ugly  fellows,  and  the  story  goes  that  an  English  officer  who  fell  into  the 
pit  several  years  ago  was  torn  in  pieces  by  them. 

"Mary  bought  some  bread  and  carrots  to  give  to  the  bears.  The 
creatures  have  good  appetites,  and  one  of  them  sat  down  on  his 
haunches  and  held  his  mouth  open  while  our  gifts  were  tossed  into  it. 
When  we  had  fed  him  to  our  hearts'  content  it  was  evidently  not  to  his, 
as  he  sat  there  with  his  mouth  open  and  waited  patiently  for  additional 
offerings.  Thej^  were  not  long  in  coming,  as  a  fresh  crowd  of  visitors 
arrived  and  supplied  him.  The  rules  forbid  giving  the  bears  anything 
but  bread  and  fruit.  A  few  days  before  our  visit  an  American  youth 
thought  it  would  be  fine  sport  to  give  one  of  the  bears  a  lighted  fire- 
cracker in  an  apple,  but  he  evidently  doesn't  think  so  now,  as  he  is  do- 
ing penance  in  the  city  jail — at  least,  so  the  guide  tells  us. 

"  Somebody  took  half  a  dozen  carrots,  and  fastened  them  together 
with  a  cord  in  such  a  way  that  they  looked  like  a  string  of  sausages. 
He  flung  these  so  that  they  caught  on  one  of  the  lower  limbs  of  a  tree 
in  the  pit.  The  big  bear  that  had  been  standing  with  his  mouth  open 
like  a  trap  gave  a  glance  at  the  carrots,  and  evidently  concluded  that 
he  was  too  large  to  climb  for  them.  But  this  was  not  the  case  with  a 
young  brown  bear  that  had  just  come  out  from  his  den.  He  clasped 
his  legs  around  the  tree,  and  ascended.  AVhen  he  reached  the  carrots  he 
speedily  devoured  them,  and  then  descended,  bear  fashion,  to  the  floor 
of  the  pit  again.     The  performance  gave  great  amusement  to  the  spec- 


360 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


:    •  o./.  >"■■■.  ■.:-'■ 


.7'  . 


tators,  and  especially  to  the  chil- 
dren, who  were  more  numerous 
than  adults.     Mary  says  that  no 
matter   how  much   is   given    to   one 
of  these  pets  of  the  city  of  Berne  he 
can  only  make  a  bear  living. 

'•  The  hucksters  around  the  place 
do  a  good  business  in  selling  bread, 
carrots,  and  fruit  for  the  nourishment 
of  the  bears ;  and  we  were  told  that 
on  Sundays  and  festival  days  the  an- 
imals get  so  many  gifts  that  the  city 
authorities  are  at  no  expense  for  feed- 
ing them.  Several  booths  are  de- 
voted to  the  sale  of  wood -carving's 
and  other  curiosities,  and  among  the 
wood-carvings  the  bear  predominates. 
You  can  see  him  in  all  shapes  and 
in  many  occupations.  He  is  represented  smoking  a  pipe,  holding  a 
parasol  or  umbrella,  wielding  sword  or  other  weapon,  singing  from  a 
sheet  of  wooden  music,  or  eating  wooden  fruit  from  a  wooden  table. 
There  was  a  group  of  bears  representing  a  school :  a  large  bear  wear- 
ing spectacles  and  holding  a  rod  in  one  paw  was  presiding  over  a  dozen 
little  bears  busy  at  their  studies,  and  evidently  in  wholesome  fear  of 
the  rod  in  their  teacher's  hand.     At  one  side  of  the  enclosure  is  a  cafe, 


BEAU-FITS    AT    BERNE, 


SIGHTS   IN   THE   MUSEUM. 


361 


in  which  beer,  soda-water,  and  other  light  beverages  were  sold,  and  we 
observed  that  the  place  was  well  patronized  by  the  Bernese. 

"  When  we  had  finished  with  the  bears  we  drove  to  the  Rosen- 
garten,  and  afterwards  to  the  Schanzli,  whence  we  had  a  more  exten- 
sive view  than  from  the  Cathedral  Terrace,  which  I  have  mentioned. 
Afterwards  we  returned  to  the  city  and  visited  the  museum,  where 
Mary  saw  the  stuffed  skin  of  the  famous  dog  Barry  that  she  heard 
about  when  we  were  going  from  Martigny  to  Chamouni.  We  also 
saw  what  was  of  interest  to  all  of  us :  a  collection  of  all  the  animals  in- 
digenous to  Switzerland,  and  said  to  be  the  largest  in  the  country. 

"  The  animal  that  interested  us  more  than  any  other  was  the 
chamois,  for  the  very  simple  reason  that  we  have  heard  more  about 
him  than  of  any  other  wild  quadruped  of  the  Alps.  I  was  disap- 
pointed as  to  his  size,  as  I  supposed  he  was  much  larger  than  we  found 
him,  according  to  the  specimens  in  the  museum.  I  had  pictured  him  as 
a  deer,  when  really  he  is  more  like  a  goat.  According  to  some  scientific 
men  he  belongs  to  the  goat  family,  while  others  class  him  with  the  an- 
telope. Wood's  Natural  History  calls  him  rupicapra  (rock-goat),  and 
another  name  for  him  is  antelope  rupicapra.  He  is  about  the  size  of 
a  large  goat,  but  his 
neck  is  longer  and  body 
shorter  than  in  the 
common  goat. 

"  Horns  of  the  cha- 
mois are  for  sale  all 
through  Switzerland, 
but  I  must  be  par- 
doned for  believing 
that  the  greater  num- 
ber of  them — in  fact, 
nearly  all  the  so-called 
chamois  horns  that  we 
saw  —  grew  on  the 
heads  of  domestic 
goats.  There  are  not 
enough  genuine  cha- 
mois  killed  to  supply 
a  quarter  of  the  de- 
mand for  horns. 

"  Hunting  the  cha-  scene  in  a  bernese  cafe. 


HUNTING   THE   CHAMOIS. 


363 


mois  in  Switzei'land  is  something  that  a  good  many  sportsmen  long 
for,  but  not  all  of  them  undertake.  It  is  a  sport  attended  with 
a  great  deal  of  hardship  and  danger,  as  the  creature  inhabits  the 
higher  parts  of  the  mountains,  and  can  get  about  with  ease  where  a 
man  cannot  go.  He  can  leap  over  ravines  fifteen  or  eighteen  feet 
wide,  and  is  said  to  be  able  to  fall  twenty  or  thirty  feet  without  injury. 
Mountain  slopes  or  steeps  that  take  a  man  hours  to  pass  can  be  covered 
in  a  few  moments  by  the  chamois,  and  Avhen  he  has  discovered  his  pur- 
suer and  taken  flight  it  is  as  useless  to  follow  him  as  to  follow  an 
eagle,  or  any  other  bird  of  strong  wing. 

"The  dangers  and  difficulties  of  chamois  hunting  are  very  attractive 
to  many  of  the  Swiss  peasants,  and  some  of  them  devote  the  best  part 
of  their  time  to  this  sport.  Some  hunters  go  out  alone,  but  the  favor- 
ite way  is  for  several  to  pursue  the  animal  together.  The  chamois  is 
gregarious,  and  flocks  of  them  are  often  seen  together.  The  hunters  di- 
vide into  parties,  and  one  party  conceals  itself  in  a  course  it  is  supposed 
the  animals  will  run  when  they  catch  sight  of  the  other  party.  In  this 
way  they  are  shot  from  ambush,  and  occasionally  several  of  them  may 
be  killed  in  a  single  day.  So  many  chamois  have  been  shot  that  their 
number  is  greatly  reduced,  and  the  few  that  are  now  taken  must  be 
sought  in  the  most  inaccessible  portions  of  the  mountains.  We  have 
been  invited  to  join  hunting  parties  in  the  mountains,  but  have  respect- 
fully declined,  as  we  do  not  wish  to  leave  Mrs.  Bassett  and  Mary  behind 
us,  and  it  would  be  impossi- 
ble for  them  to  accompany  us 
among  the  rocks  and  hills." 

"When  our  friends  had  seen 
the  sights  of  Berne,  they  held 
a  council  as  to  where  they 
should  go  next. 

Frank  suggested  a  visit  to 
Interlaken  and  the  Bernese 
Oberland,  and  thought  it 
might  be  desirable  to  see  some 
of  the  mountains  and  glaciers 
of  the  Bernese  region,  and 
make   a   nearer  acquaintance  TIIE  chamois. 

with  them. 

"  I  think  I've  seen  as  many  mountains  as  I  care  for,"  said  Mrs.  Bas- 
sett.    "  Mont  Blanc  ought  to  be  a  good  sample  mountain  of  Switzer- 


301        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

land,  and  as  for  the  glaciers,  those  that  we  have  seen  will  give  us  an  ex- 
cellent and  satisfactory  idea  of  what  the  others  may  be." 

Like  a  dutiful  girl,  Mary  did  not  oppose  her  mother's  ideas  of  what 
was  desirable  to  be  seen,  however  much  she  may  have  wished  to  spend 
more  time  among  the  mountains.  She  remarked,  with  a  good  deal  of  phi- 
losophy, that  she  hoped  to  visit  Switzerland  again,  and  was  willing  to 
leave  something  to  be  seen  in  future  visits. 

"I've  been  studying  the  map,"  said  Mrs.  Bassett,  "and  think  I 
would  like  to  go  from  here  to  Bale.  By-the-way,  what  is  the  right 
spelling  and  pronunciation  of  that  word?  I've  seen  it  spelled  three  dif- 
ferent ways  on  the  maps  and  in  the  guide-books." 

"  It  is  a  single  syllable,  with  the  a  as  in  father,"  Frank  replied. 

"  The  Germans  pronounce  it  Bar-sel,  in  two  syllables,  and  the}'  spell 
it  'Basel;'  the  French  spell  it  'Bale,'  and  the  English  follow  the  French 
form,  except  that  they  generally  add  an  s.  French  and  English  pro- 
nunciations of  the  word  are  just  the  same,  '  Bide.'  " 

"  "Well,  how  about  going  there  ?" 

"  It  is  an  interesting  city,"  was  the  reply, "  and  well  worth  visiting. 
Probably  more  foreigners  enter  Switzerland  by  way  of  Bale  than 
through  Geneva.  The  route  from  London  to  Switzerland  is  shorter  by 
Bale  than  Geneva,  and  so  is  that  from  Germany  and  Russia.  Bale 
stands  on  the  Rhine,  and  it  has  stood  there  for  a  very  long  time." 

"  Then,  if  no  one  opposes,"  said  Mrs.  Bassett,  "  we  will  go  to  Bale, 
and  from  there  we  may  find  an  excursion  of  interest." 

In  accordance  with  this  arrangement  the  train  was  taken  for  that 
city,  sixty-six  miles  from  Berne — a  ride  of  about  three  hours. 

"  There  was  not  much  of  interest  in  our  ride,"  said  Mary.  "  except 
pretty  scenery,  which  was  almost  constant  from  beginning  to  end  of  our 
journey.  The  most  important  place  we  passed  through  was  Burgdorf, 
a  picturesque  town  on  the  side  of  a  hill,  and  the  guide-book  says  it  is  a 
busy  town,  too.  It  also  says  it  was  at  the  Chateau  of  Burgdorf,  in  1T9S, 
that  Pestalozzi  established  his  famous  educational  institution.  "When  I 
read  this  aloud  Fred  began  to  quiz  me  as  to  what  I  could  tell  about 
Pestalozzi,  and  what  he  did  for  education. 

"  I  put  on  my  thinking  cap,  and,  after  wearing  it  a  moment.  I  said : 

"  Pestalozzi  was  a  Swiss  teacher  and  educational  reformer,  and  his 
first  name  was  Johann  Heinrich,  or,  in  English,  John  Henry.  He  was 
born  in  Zurich  in  1745,  and,  after  being  liberally  educated,  he  tried  to  be 
a  farmer,  but  failed.  Then  he  wrote  a  novel  and  some  works  on  educa- 
tion, and  then  he  established  a  school  at  Stanz,  and  afterwards  at  Burg- 


PESTALOZZI   AND   HIS   SYSTEM. 


365 


dorf.  This  school  became  celebrated,  and  so  did  another,  on  the  same 
plan,  which  he  founded  in  180-1  at  Yverdun." 

"  What  a  memory  you  have  !"  exclaimed  Fred. 

"Thank  you,"  said  Mary,  "but  that  is  not  all  I  can  tell  \'ou  about 
Festalozzi.     He  was  one  of  the  most  successful  teachers  the  world  had 


if 


SWISS    FARM-HOCSE. 


ever  seen,  and  his  methods  of  training  and  instruction  were  adopted  in 
Germany  and  other  countries  of  Europe,  where  they  are  still  in  use. 
The  great  principle  of  his  system  was  that  all  teaching  should  begin 
with  the  concrete,  and  proceed  from  that  to  the  abstract ;  for  example, 
he  taught  arithmetic  by  beginning  with  the  addition  of  four  apples  to 
five  apples,  not  by  adding  the  abstract  numbers  four  and  five.     One  of 


366 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


his  biographers  says  that  in  his  hands  objects  became  the  subject  of 
lessons  to  develop  the  reasoning  and  observing  powers  of  his  pupils, 
not  lessons  about  objects. 

"And  one  thing  more  about  this  famous  man.  Though  lie  was  an 
accomplished  and  original  teacher,  he  was  totally  unable  to  manage  his 
business  affairs,  and  all  through  his  life  he  was  in  pecuniary  difficulties. 
His  death  was  hastened  by  his  mortifications  and  disappointments,  and 
he  died  before  the  value  of  his  system  of  teaching  had  been  generally 
acknowledged  by  the  educational  world." 

Frank  had  telegraphed  for  rooms  at  the  Three  Kings  Hotel  (Hotel 
des  Trois  Rois),  which  stands  on  the  bank  of  the  Rhine,  and  he  found  the 
rooms  ready  on  the  arrival  of  his  party.  Mrs.  Bassett  welcomed  the 
Rhine  as  an  old  acquaintance,  and  it  is  quite  possible  that  the  recol- 
lections of  her  journey  from  Cologne  to  Mayence,  as  described  in  The 
Boy  Travellers  in  Northern  Europe,  formed  a  part  of  her  incentive  to 
visit  Bale.  Mary  was  not  less  enthusiastic  than  her  mother  in  praise 
of  the  famous  river,  and  was  equally  glad  to  look  on  it  again. 

"  According  to  history,"  said  Fred,  "  Bale  was  founded  by  the  Ro- 
mans. It  is  mentioned  asBasilea  in  the  fourth  century,  and  the  ruins  of 
a  Roman  fort  can  be  traced  at  the  village  of  Augst,  a  few  miles  from 
here.  Bale  has  been  a  place  of  importance  since  the  tenth  century.  It 
belong-ed  for  a  time  to  the  kingdom  of  Burgundy,  and  afterwards  to  the 


CROSSING    THE    KHISE    BY    MOONLIGHT. 


German  empire;  then  it  joined  the  Swiss  confederation.  Its  history 
has  been  marked  by  several  revolts,  and  it  has  had  its  share  of  the  hor- 
rors of  war  at  various  epochs.  Some  of  its  troubles  have  come  from 
religious  quarrels  which  grew  out  of  the  Reformation,  in  which  the  Re- 


THE   CATHEDRAL   OF   BALE.  367 

formers  generally  had  the  winning  side,  for  the  reason  that  they  were 
more  numerous  than  their  adversaries." 

"  Is  not  this  the  place  where  Luther's  writings  were  printed  when 
no  other  city  would  permit  their  publication?"  Mrs.  Bassett  asked. 

"  I  cannot  say  that  no  other  city  would  allow  them  to  be  printed 
within  its  limits,"  replied  Fred,  "  but  it  is  a  matter  of  history  that  Lu- 
ther's writings  were  printed  here  from  the  year  1519,  and  it  was  from 
Bale  that  they  were  distributed  throughout  Europe.  By  1539  Bale  was  so 
thoroughly  allied  to  the  Reformation  that  the  chapter  of  the  cathedral 
had  left  the  city,  and  the  convents  had  been  suppressed  ;  and  it  has 
been  a  city  of  the  Reformation,  or  of  Protestantism,  ever  since.  Out  of 
its  fifty  thousand  inhabitants  not  more  than  one-fourth  are  Catholics." 

Frank  suggested  that  they  would  visit  the  cathedral,  which  is  one 
of  the  oldest  and  finest  in  this  part  of  the  world ;  formerly  it  was  the 
Cathedral  of  the  Apostolic  See  of  Bale,  but  it  has  long  been  a  Protes- 
tant church.  The  bishopric  was  founded  by  Charlemagne.  The  church 
was  built  in  the  eleventh  century,  restored  in  the  twelfth,  again  restored 
in  the  thirteenth,  after  being  badly  injured  by  an  earthquake,  and  re- 
paired and  decorated  at  various  times  in  the  last  four  centuries,  the 
most  recent  changes  having  taken  place  less  than  forty  years  ago.  Por- 
tions of  the  work  of  every  epoch  can  be  seen,  and  for  this  reason,  if  for 
no  other,  the  church  is  of  unusual  interest  to  the  student  of  architecture. 

A  great  religious  council  assembled  here  in  the  year  1431,  for  the 
ostensible  purpose  of  "  reforming  the  Church  in  head  and  members." 
The  members  of  the  council  disputed  for  years  without  coming  to  any 
conclusion,  and  as  there  seemed  no  prospect  of  their  agreement,  the  coun- 
cil was  dissolved  in  141S.  The  council-room  is  preserved  in  the  same 
condition  as  when  the  members  left  it,  and  our  friends  contemplated  it 
with  a  great  deal  of  interest.  They  went  through  other  rooms,  which 
contain  a  fine  collection  of  mediaeval  antiquities,  and  altogether  they 
felt  amply  repaid  for  the  time  they  spent  in  the  historic  building,  whose 
towers  of  red  sandstone  are  a  conspicuous  object  to  the  traveller  ap- 
proaching Bale,  no  matter  from  what  direction. 

"  From  the  church  we  went  to  the  museum,"  said  Mary,  "  where  we 
saw  an  excellent  collection  of  paintings,  both  old  and  modern,  together 
with  drawings  by  some  of  the  old  masters  who  lived  at  Bale  at  some 
periods  of  their  lives.  Holbein  occupies  the  most  prominent  place. 
There  is  a  perplexity  about  him,  as  there  were  two  Holbeins,  father  and 
son,  and  each  bore  the  name  of  Hans.  Holbein  the  younger  is  the 
one  of  which  Bale  is  especially  proud.     He  lived  here  for  several  years, 


368 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


until  he  was  sent  to  England  by  the  celebrated  scholar  Erasmus,  with  a 
letter  of  introduction  to  Sir  Thomas  More.  Sir  Thomas  introduced  him 
to  Henry  VIII.  of  England.  The  King  gave  him  all  the  employment 
he  wanted,  and  also  a  pension,  which  he  drew  regularly  until  his  death 
of  the  plague  in  1554-.     Some  authorities  say  he  died  in  144:3. 

"They  showed  us  some  of  Holl>ein*s  frescos  in  the  famous  'Dance 
of  Death,'  and  a  great  number  of  his  drawings.     Then  we  saw  some  of 


'NATHAN    REBrKING    DATID." [Holbein.] 


his  paintings — I  don't  know  how  many,  for  I  was  so  interested  in  look- 
ing at  the  pictures  that  I  didn't  think  of  counting  them.  Several  of 
them  are  portraits,  and  they  are  such  as  any  painter  of  any  period  could 
feel  proud  to  have  put  on  canvas.  In  addition  to  his  skill  as  a  painter, 
Holbein  is  honored  for  his  work  in  wood  -  engraving,  and  he  is  often 
spoken  of  as  the  father  of  this  kind  of  illustration.  Frank  says  this  is 
not  literally  the  case,  as  engraving  on  blocks  was  known  a  long  time 
before  Holbein  was  born,  though  undoubtedly  this  famous  artist  did 
much  towards  its  development." 


OLD  FRIENDS  MEET. 


369 


CHAPTER    XXL 

MEETING  OLD  FRIENDS.— THE  CHAPMAN  FAMILY.—  EXCURSION  TO  THE  FALLS  OF 
THE  RHINE.  — A  DIVISION  INTO  TWO  PARTIES. —WHAT  FRANK  AND  FRED 
SAW.— LAKE  CONSTANCE.— SUMMER  HOMES  OF  NOTED  PERSONS.— QUEEN  HOR- 
TENSE.— AN  UNHAPPY  LIFE.— MARTYRDOM  OF  JOHN  HUSS.— THE  GREAT  COUN- 
CIL AND  ITS  HALL.— RAGATZ  AND  PFAFFERS.— IN  A  HOT  CAVERN.— THE  WAL- 
LENSEE.— ZURICH.—  SIGHT  -SEEING  AND  DRESS-MAKING  — UP  THE  RIGI.— 
MARY'S  ACCOUNT  OF  WHAT  THEY  SAW  THERE.— THE  RIGI  RAILWAY.— ASCENT 
BY  COG-WHEELS.— SUNRISE  ON  THE  RIGI.— THE  ALPINE  HORN.— GENERAL  VIEW 
FROM  THE  SUMMIT.— LAKE  OF  THE  FOUR  CANTONS.— LUCERNE. 


TT^HILE  walking  through  the  hallway  of  the  hotel  Mrs.  Bassett 
*  '      met  an  old  friend  and  neighbor  from  America.     The  two  wom- 
en rushed  into  each  other's  arms  like  sisters  after  a  ten  years'  sepa- 
ration ;  and  it  was 
evident  to  any  ob- 
server   that    their 
greetings  were  of 
the  most  friendly 
character.   Almost 
in  the  same  breath 
each  asked  the  oth- 
er   how    she   hap- 
pened to  be  in  Bale 
at  that  particular 
moment. 

Mrs.  Bassett  ex- 
plained where  they 
had  been,  how  it 
happened  that  they 

came  to  that  city,  and  also  why  they  put  up  at  that  particular  hotel. 
Then  it  was  the  turn  of  Mrs.  Chapman  to  answer,  "  I've  just  come 
from  Wiesbaden,"  said  she,  "  with  my  husband  and  my  daughter  Katie. 
The  doctor  ordered  Katie  there  for  the  baths,  and  they've  done  her  a 
great  deal  of  good.'' 

2-t 


CARVING    IN    CATHEDRAL,    BALE. 


370 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IX  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


Presently  Ka- 
tie  appeared.  At 
the  same  time 
Mary    came    in 

sight,    and    the 
greetings  of  the 
mothers  were  re- 
peated  in    those 
of  the  daughters. 
Then  there  was 
an  adjournment 
to  the  parlor  of 
the  hotel,  where 
shortly  the  femi- 
nine   contingent 
was    joined    by 
Mr.  Chapman,  and  by 
Frank  and  Fred. 
Neither  party  knew 
that  the   other  was  in 
Switzerland    or     any- 
where   near    it.  and    this 
circumstance  added  mate- 
rially to  the  interest  of  the 
meeting.    An  hour  quickly 
passed  away  in  the  inter- 
chance  of  experiences  and 
information,  and 
before    the   par- 
ties separated  it 
was  arranged 
that  they  would 
dine    together 
that    very   day, 
ami  discuss  plans 
for  an  excursion  to  some  part  of  Switzerland  in  each  other's  society. 

During  dinner  it  was  arranged  that  they  would  go  the  next  day  to 
the  Falls  of  the  Rhine.  The  details  of  the  excursion  were  left  to  Frank, 
and  after  dinner  he  excused  himself,  while  he  consulted  the  railway 
time-table  and  completed  his  plans. 


SCHAFFHAUSEN. 


THE   FALLS   OF   THE   RHINE.  371 

In  a  little  while  lie  joined  the  party  in  the  parlor  and  unfolded  the 
following  practical  and  comprehensive  scheme  : 

"  "We  will  leave  here  by  the  train  at  9.50  a.m.  to-morrow,"  said  he, 
"  and  go  to  Neuhausen,  the  station  for  the  falls  of  the  Rhine.  We  shall 
be  due  at  Neuhausen  at  12.45,  and  it  will  not.  take  long  to  see  the  falls. 
There  are  two  or  three  trains  in  the  afternoon  which  will  take  us  to 
Zurich  in  two  hours.  We  can  send  our  trunks  to  one  of  the  hotels  at 
Zurich,  and  find  them  there  when  we  arrive." 

The  plan  was  approved  unanimously,  and  was  carried  out  as  indi- 
cated. Mrs.  Bassett  asked  Frank  if  he  was  entirely  correct  as  to  the 
station  for  seeing  the  falls.  She  had  heard  they  were  at  Schaffhausen, 
and  presumed  that  Neuhausen  might  possibly  be  a  nearer  station  than 
the  other  place  for  leaving  the  train. 

"  That  is  precisely  the  case,"  replied  Frank.  "  If  you  look  at  this 
map  you  will  see  that  Neuhausen  is  nearer  to  the  falls  than  the  better 
known  city.  Schaffhausen  is  above  the  falls,  and  the  rapids  that  pre- 
cede them ;  and  from  that  place  to  Lake  Constance  the  Rhine  is  with- 
out a  break,  so  that  it  is  navigated  by  steamers  and  other  boats." 

So  saying,  Frank  handed  the  map  to  his  mother,  and  as  lie  did  so  he 
indicated  the  position  of  the  two  towns  in  question.  The  course  of  the 
river  from  the  falls  to  Lake  Constance  was  also  indicated.  Mrs.  Bas- 
sett studied  the  map  attentively  for  several  minutes,  and  then  declared 
that  she  had  received  an  excellent  lesson  in  geography. 

The  impression  made  by  the  falls  was  not  the  same  on  all  the  mem- 
bers of  the  party.  The  girls  were  charmed  with  the  view,  and  went 
into  raptures  over  it,  while  their  mothers  looked  on  with  a  calmness 
that  may  be  credited  to  experience  and  riper  age.  Frank  and  Fred 
thought  America  could  produce  dozens  of  falls  which  would  surpass 
those  of  the  Rhine,  and  Mr.  Chapman  remarked  that  any  water  would 
come  down  just  like  that  if  it  were  put  in  the  bed  of  the  river  at 
Schaffhausen  and  allowed  to  take  its  course. 

"  The  falls  of  the  Rhine,"  wrote  Fred  in  his  journal,  "  are  known 
here  as  the  Lauffen.  Mary  thinks  this  local  name  comes  from  the  fact 
that  it  is  no  laughing  matter  to  look  at  the  cascade  from  any  point  of 
view.  The  river  here  is  about  three  hundred  feet  wide.  All  the  way 
from  Schaffhausen  the  water  tumbles  in  rapids,  and  at  length  breaks 
over  the  precipitous  rocks  in  three  leaps,  and  not  in  a  single  cascade,  as 
many  people  expect  to  find.  On  the  right  bank  the  fall  is  about  fifty 
feet,  while  that  on  the  left  is  perhaps  ten  feet  higher.  Adding  to  this 
the  descent  of  the  rapids  and  a  slight  break  just  above  the  falls,  there  is 


372 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IX  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


a  difference  of  fully  one  hundred  feet  between  the  level  of  the  Rhine  at 
the  steamboat  pier  at  Schaffhausen  ami  the  basin  below  the  falls. 

"We  were  taken  to  half  a  dozen  points  from  which  the  falls  were 
to  be  seen,  and  each  of  them  was  something  'that  should  not  by  any 
means  be  missed.'  The  views  that  we  liked  best  were  those  from 
Schloss  Lauffen.  which  is  on  a  wood-covered  rock  on  the  left  hank  of 
the  river  and  close  to  the  cataract.  From  one  point  we  could  see  the 
falls  and  the  rapids  all  at  once,  and  at  the  foot  of  the  rock  there  is  an 
iron  platform  overhanging  the  fall,  and  so  near  to  it  that  we  could  feel 
the  spray  in  our  faces  and  almost  touch  the  plunging  stream. 

"  Half  an  hour  before  we  were  to  take  the  train  for  Zurich.  Mr. 
Chapman  asked  Frank  and  myself  if  we  wanted  to  go  on  to  Lake  Con- 
stance, either  by  rail  or  river. 

•••If  you  do."  said  he.  'I  will  accompany  the  ladies  to  Zurich,  and 
wait  for  you  there.  They  will  be  perfectly  content  there  for  a  few 
days,  as  Zurich  is  attractive  from  the  shopping  and  dress-making  point 
of  view,  and.  as  for  myself.  I  will  enjoy  seeing  them  enjoy  themselves.' 

-This  was  a  chance  not  to  be  missed."  continued  Fred,  "and  it 
didn't  take  two  minutes  to  arrange  everything.  Mr.  Chapman  and  the 
ladies  took  the  train  for  Zurich  almost  at  the  same  moment  that  Frank 
and  I  were  on  the  boat  for  Constance. 

••  We  had  a  very  delightful  ride  on  the  boat,  and  found  the  Rhine 
quite  as  picturesque  as  on  the  part  of  the  stream  which  we  had  already 
travelled.  Perhaps  there  are  not  as  many  castles,  nor  possibly  quite  as 
many  legends  connected  with  those  that  exist,  but  there  are  certainly 


ARENF.NBEKU 


CASTLES  ON  THE  UPPER  RHINE.  373 

enough  of  castles  and  legends  to  supply  any  reasonable  want.  And 
thei'e  is  history  as  well  as  legend  to  make  this  part  of  the  Rhine  inter- 
esting to  any  observant  traveller. 

"  Not  far  from  Stein,  which  is  about  half-way  from  Schaffhausen  to 
Constance,  our  attention  was  called  to  several  castles  and  chateaux 
among  the  trees  along  the  slopes  of  the  hills.  The  chateau  or  villa  of 
Arenenberg  was  especially  pointed  out.  It  was  the  home  of  Queen 
Hortense,  the  daughter  of  Josephine,  step-daughter  of  Napoleon  I.,  and 
mother  of  Napoleon  III.  She  died  here  in  1837,  after  being  refused  a 
home  in  other  countries,  where  she  sought  an  asylum  after  the  fall  of 
the  great  Emperor.  Just  think  how  unhappy  she  must  have  been! 
Her  father  died  on  the  guillotine ;  her  mother  married  the  great  Na- 
poleon, and  was  divorced  to  die  of  a  broken  heart ;  Napoleon,  her 
step-father,  died  a  prisoner  in  English  hands  ;  she  married  a  king,  Louis 
Bonaparte,  who  occupied  the  throne  of  Holland  only  four  years,  and 
then  abdicated ;  her  life  with  the  King  was  not  a  happy  one,  and  ended 
in  separation  and  divorce ;  and  at  the  time  of  her  death  her  whole 
family  was  under  the  ban  in  France. 

"  Frank  reminded  me  to  note  that  it  was  Queen  Hortense  who  wrote 
that  famous  French  song,  '  Partant  pour  la  Syne,'  which  is  as  popular 
with  the  soldiers  of  France  as  '  Hail,  Columbia !'  is  with  those  of  our 
own  land  and  'Rule,  Britannia!'  with  the  English. 

"  Not  far  from  this  place  is  one  which  is  sometimes  occupied  in  sum- 
mer by  the  Emperor  of  Germany.  Then  there  is  at  Mainau  a  castle 
which  belongs  to  the  Grand-duke  of  Baden,  and  there  are  other  royal, 
princely,  or  grand-ducal  residences  along  this  part  of  the  Rhine  and 
around  the  shores  of  Lake  Constance.  The  owners  have  shown  good 
taste  in  their  selections,  as  there  is  charming  scenery  all  around,  the 
pure  air  of  the  mountains  is  abundant  and  free,  and  the  waters  are 
pleasing  to  look  upon,  to  drink,  or  to  bathe  in.  What  more  could  one 
ask  in  selecting  a  summer  residence  ?" 

When  Fred  read  the  above  to  Frank,  the  latter  said  there  was  one 
thing  he  had  not  mentioned  which  made  the  place  attractive  to  royalty. 

"  What  is  that  ?"  queried  Fred. 

"  Don't  you  see,"  replied  Frank,  "  when  you  look  at  the  map  ?" 

Fred  studied  the  map  for  a  few  minutes,  and  then  remarked  : 

"  I  think  I  understand  what  you  mean.  Lake  Constance  is  only 
forty-two  miles  long  and  eight  miles  across  in  its  widest  part;  but,  small 
as  it  is,  the  shores  of  the  lake  represent  five  different  Governments : 
Switzerland,  Austria,  Bavaria,  Baden,  and  Wiirtemberg,  with  Italy  not 


37-4 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IX  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


so  very  far  away  on  the  other  side  of  the  mountains.  Thrones  are  un- 
certain seats  at  best,  and  it  is  well  for  the  occupant  of  a  throne  to  have 
a  retreat  where  several  different  Governments  are  within  easy  reach.    Is 

that  your  idea  I" 

"  Precisely,"  was 
the  reply.  "  Any  royal 
or  imperial  exile  would 
be  reasonably  safe  here, 
as  the  people  are  dem- 
ocratic, and  consider  a 
king  or  emperor  just  as 
good  as  any  of  their 
own  people  —  so  long 
as  he  behaves  himself. 
They  are  liberal  in 
their  views,  as  they 
welcomed  Queen  Ilor- 
tense  when  Geneva  re- 
fused its  permission  for 
her  to  live  in  that 
city." 

••  We  found  Con- 
stance an  interesting 
old  place,"  said  Fred. 
'•  though  much  smaller 
than  it  was  in  former 
times.  Once  it  had 
40,000  inhabitants,  but 
there  are  now  not  more 
than  12.000  in  the  lim- 
its of  the  city.  Con- 
stance was  once  a  free 
city  of  the  German  em- 
pire. After  the  Ref- 
ormation it  was  subject  to  Austria,  and  in  1S05  the  Treaty  of  Pres- 
buro-  gave  it  to  the  Grand-duchy  of  Baden.  We  visited  the  cathedral, 
which  was  founded  in  1052,  and  was  rebuilt,  substantially  as  we  find  it 
now.  in  the  early  part  of  the  sixteenth  century.  Then  we  went  to  the 
hall  of  the  Great  Council,  which  was  summoned  to  meet  here  in  the 
vear  lil-i.  and  continued  its  sessions  for  four  vears.     According  to  his- 


CASTLE    Or    MAIN'AU,   LAKE    CONSTANCE. 


GREAT  COUNCIL  OF  CONSTANCE. 


o75 


SUMMER  RESIDENCE  Of  GERMAN  EMPEROR. 


tory,  the  Council  consisted  of  the  Emperor  Sigismund,  Pope  John 
XXIII.,  26  princes,  140  counts,  20  cardinals,  7  patriarchs,  20  arch- 
bishops, 91  bishops,  600  doctors  and  prelates,  and  about  -1,000  priests ! 
"What  a  convention  it  must  have  been !  But  probably  they  were  not  all 
assembled  at  one  time.  This  was  the  Council  that  deposed  three  rival 
popes  and  elected  another  (Martin  V.),  and  its  most  famous — or  infa- 
mous— act  was  the  arrest,  condemnation,  and  burning  at  the  stake  of 
the  great  Reformer,  John  Huss,  and  that  other  Reformer,  Jerome  of 
Prague,  in  consequence  of  their  religious  teachings. 

"  We  saw  the  great  hall  where  the  Council  held  its  meetings ;  it 
measures  150  feet  by  100,  and  is  now  used  as  a  market-place.  The  Do- 
minican monastery  where  Huss  was  kept  a  prisoner  happens  to  be  the 
hotel  to  which  we  went,  and  so  we  did  not  have  to  take  a  walk  in  order 
to  see  it.  AVe  did  have  to  walk,  though,  to  see  the  house  where  Huss 
was  arrested,  and  there  is  no  mistaking  the  place,  as  it  is  marked  by  a 
tablet  and  a  bust  of  the  martyr.  A  guide  wished  to  show  us  the  spot 
outside  the  town  where  Huss  and  Jerome  were  burned  to  death,  but  we 
declined  his  offer  to  take  us  there.  "We  preferred  devoting  the  time  to 
a  row  on  the  lake  and  to  sight-seeing  of  a  less  painful  character — so 
far  as  the  recollections  were  concerned." 

From  Constance,  Frank  and  Fred  went  to  the  farther  end  of  the 
lake  by  steamboat,  terminating  their  vo^yage  at  Bregenz.  They  found 
the  scenery  less  wild  and  interesting  than  that  of  Geneva  Lake,  but  it 
was  by  no  means  monotonous  or  devoid  of  beauty.     From  Bregenz  they 


went  by  rail  to  Eagatz, 

whence  they    paid    a 

rief  visit  to  Pfiiffers,  both  places 

aths.     Here  is 

what  Frank  said  about  them : 

'•  Ragatz  has  the  general  ap- 
pearance of  a  popular  watering- 
place  in  Europe,  as  it  has  its  kursaal,  reading- 
room,  bath-house,  promenade,  music  pavilion, 
and  the  other  attributes  of  a  fashionable  resort. 
It  is  a  village  rather  than  a  town,  as  it  has  less 
than  two  thousand  inhabitants,  and  until  lSiO 
was  of  very  little  consequence.  In  that  year 
the  former  residence  of  the   abbots  of  Pfiiffers  was  converted  into  a 


VILLAGE    OF    PFAFFEKS,    NKAI 
KaGATZ. 


HOT  BATHS  AT   RAGATZ   AND  PFAFFERS.  377 

hotel  and  bathing  establishment,  and  since  then  other  hotels  and  board- 
ing-houses have  come  into  existence.  Fifty  thousand  people  are  said  to 
come  here  every  year,  their  patronage  being  divided  between  Ragatz 
and  Pfaffers,  and  some  years  there  are  more. 

"  Pfaffers  is  not  quite  three  miles  from  Eagatz  by  the  road,  and  500 
feet  above  it  in  elevation.  It  lies  in  a  gorge  of  the  Tamina  (not  Tarn, 
many)  River,  and  the  gorge  is  so  narrow  that  it  often  threatens  to 
crowd  the  road  into  the  creek.  We  were  under  the  impression  that  the 
baths  and  village  of  Pfaffers  were  one  and  the  same,  but  before  leaving 
Ragatz  we  learned  that  we  were  mistaken ;  they  are  quite  distinct,  and 
some  distance  apart.  "We  went  first  to  Bad -Pfaffers,  or  the  bathing- 
place,  and  found  it  a  large  building,  with  a  gloomy  exterior  but  very 
comfortable  on  the  inside.  The  water  in  which  people  bathe  gushes 
out  in  a  great  volume ;  it  is  as  clear  as  any  water  you  ever  saw,  and 
has  neither  taste  nor  smell,  and  the  temperature  keeps  very  close  to 
100°  Fahrenheit  during  the  entire  year.  The  water  from  Ead-Pfiiffers  is 
carried  to  Ragatz  in  a  large  conduit,  and  the  only  advantage  of  Pfaffers 
over  Ragatz  is  that  you  get  your  baths  nearer  the  source. 

"  We  went  up  the  gorge  to  the  springs,  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from 
the  bathing -house.  The  gorge  is  narrow  and  gloomy  ;  it  is  from  thirty 
to  fifty  feet  wide,  and  its  bottom  is  occupied  by  the  noisy  Tamina, 
which  dashes  furiously  over  the  rocks  in  the  bed  of  the  ravine.  There 
is  a  wooden  pathway  fastened  to  the  side  of  the  ravine  thirty  feet  or 
more  above  the  river,  and  in  some  places  the  rocks  fairly  hang  over 
you,  and  seem  ready  to  fall  at  any  moment.  At  the  end  of  the  walk 
is  a  great  cavern  whence  the  hot  spring  issues.  We  went  into  the  cav- 
ern but  did  not  stay  long — perhaps  two  minutes.  It  was  like  going  into 
the  engine-room  of  an  ocean  steamship  in  the  tropics,  or,  if  anything, 
somewhat  worse.  The  steam  blinds  and  the  heat  suffocates  so  that 
one  is  glad  to  get  to  the  outer  air  again. 

"At  the  hotels  and  in  the  bath-houses  we  met  several  Americans, 
and  when  we  were  going  up  the  ravine  to  the  springs  we  met  two  or 
three  of  our  countrymen  who  had  just  come  out  of  the  cavern  and  were 
wiping  the  dense  perspiration  from  their  foreheads.  Ragatz  is  a  favor- 
ite resort  of  Americans,  who  go  there  to  be  treated  for  rheumatism, 
difficulties  of  the  stomach,  and  kindred  maladies.  General  Grant  is  one 
of  the  Americans  who  have  visited  Ragatz,  and  the  inhabitants  are  man- 
ifestly inclined  to  remember  his  name  among  other  distinguished  patrons 
of  their  very  popular  medicinal  establishment. 

"  The  scenery  around  Ragatz  is  magnificent,  and  there  are  many  ex- 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IX  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


cursions  to  be  made  in  the  neighborhood  by  those  whose  constitutions 
are  strong  enough  to  endure  the  exertion.  We  did  not  stay  Long  enough 
to  climb  any  of  the  mountains  in  the  vicinity.  A  day  sufficed  for  our  in- 
spection of  the  baths,  and  then  we  departed  in  the  direction  of  Zurich,  tak- 
ing the  train  that  carried  us  past  the  Wallen-See,  or  hake  of  Wallenstadt. 
v-  It  isn't  a  large  lake,  as  it  is  only  twelve  miles  long  and  perhaps  two 
in  width,  but  I  don't  believe  there  is  a  prettier  lake  in  all  Switzerland. 
It  is  said  to  be  five  hundred  feet  deep  in  some  places,  and  its  waters  re- 


THE    1VALLES-SEE. 


§m§mm^sm 


semble  those  of  Lake  Leman  in 
color.  On  one  side  there  are  steep 
mountains,  while  on  the  other  are 
gentle  slopes  of  land,  with  field, 
forest,  and  village  following  field,  forest,  and  village  again.  The  villages 
are  thoroughly  alpine  in  their  character.     If  we  had  been  blindfolded 


ZURICH  AND  ITS   ATTRACTIONS.  379 

and  narcotized,  and  then  brought  here  and  allowed  to  look  around,  we 
should  have  said  without  a  moment's  hesitation,  '  This  must  be  Switzer- 
land, the  land  of  William  Tell.' 

"  At  Rapperschwyl  we  caught  the  steamer  that  took  us  through 
Zurich  Lake  to  Zurich  City.  We  telegraphed  to  Mr.  Chapman  that 
we  were  coming,  and  the  whole  party  was  at  the  landing  to  meet  us." 

Mary  will  tell  us  what  she  saw  at  Zurich  previous  to  the  arrival  of 
her  brother  and  cousin  from  their  roundabout  trip. 

"  I  thought  Zurich  was  a  larger  city  than  it  proves  to  be,  but  per- 
haps I  have  been  spoiled  by  Geneva  and  Bale.  It  has  onty  a  trifle  over 
twenty  thousand  inhabitants,  but  it  is  pretty  enough  to  have  twice  or 
three  times  that  number.  It's  a  very  old  place,  though,  as  it  was  a 
Roman  settlement.  The  Bomans  called  it  Turicum,  and  this  Eoman 
name  has  in  eighteen  centuries  been  twisted  into  '  Zurich.'  It  has  ex- 
tensive suburbs,  which  contain  more  people  than  are  found  in  the  city 
itself,  and  altogether  it  is  a  very  busy  and  prosperous  place. 

"  We  had  heard  that  it  was  a  good  place  to  buy  silks,  and  that  the 
dress-makers  understood  their  business  thoroughly.  There  are  10,000 
silk-looms  in  the  canton,  so  the  guide-book  says;  the  manager  of  the 
hotel  places  the  number  at  20,000,  but  of  course  he  is  interested  in 
drawing  custom  to  the  place,  and  may  be  relied  upon  to  give  unreliable 
information.  There  are  many  cotton  factories  and  other  industrial  es- 
tablishments in  the  neighborhood,  and  everybody  that  we  have  seen,  ex- 
cept the  strangers  and  travellers  like  ourselves,  appears  to  be  doing 
something  to  earn  a  living. 

"  The  view  from  Zurich  reminds  us,  in  general,  of  that  from  Geneva, 
but  when  we  come  to  take  it  in  detail  it  is  quite  different.  We  can  see 
in  the  distance  the  snowy  peaks  of  the  Alps,  in  front  of  us  is  the  lake, 
and  all  around  are  pretty  villages,  grassy  and  hilly  slopes,  and  gay  vine- 
yards. The  air  is  clear,  and  it  comes  fresh  from  the  mountains ;  but 
when  the  wind  does  not  blow  we  find  the  reflections  from  the  lake  a 
trifle  too  warm  for  comfort.  There  is  a  pretty  garden  on  the  shore  of 
the  lake,  and  it  reminded  us  very  much  of  the  garden  at  the  lake  front 
in  Geneva,  where  we  sat  and  enjoyed  the  view. 

"  But  I'm  forgetting  the  old  buildings  in  the  city,  and  some  of  them 
are  so  very  old  that  Mr.  Chapman  said  we  ought  to  take  off  our  hats  to 
them.  There  is  the  cathedral,  which  was  begun  in  the  eleventh  cen- 
tury, and  has  undergone  very  few  changes  in  modern  times ;  of  course 
we  went  to  see  it,  and  also  to  the  town  library  and  the  museum.  In 
the  town  library  they  showed  us  some  autograph  letters  of  Lady  Jane 


380 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IX  CENTRAL  ELHOPE. 


Greyj  Frederick  the  Great,  Henry  IV.  of  France,  and  other  noted  ]»■"- 
pie.  Mr.  Chapman  said  he  did  not  consider  them  of  much  consequence, 
as  they  were  not  at  all  well  written  and  not  even  legible. 

"When  we  came  here  we  lost  no  time  in  finding  a  dress-making 

establishment,  and  negotiating  for  the  new  frocks  that  we  thought  we 


MfK.',.  1 


CLOISTER    OF    ZURICH    CATHEDRAL. 


wanted.  Evidently  they  are  accustomed  to  doing  things  in  a  hurry,  as 
they  promised  to  have  our  dresses  complete  in  two  days  and  ready  for 
delivery.  The  prices  were  very  much  less  than  those  of  Paris,  and  we 
cannot  see  that  the  Swiss  silks  are  in  any  way  different  from  those  of 
France.  "We  are  very  well  satisfied  with  our  purchases,  although  three 
days  instead  of  two  were  required  for  completing  the  work:  but  I'll 
whisper  confidentially  that  none  of  us  expected  anything  else,  and  so 
we  were  not  disappointed  in  the  result." 

An  excursion  was  made  to  the  top  of  the  Uetliberg.  a  mountain 
2S00  feet  above  the  sea -level  and  1500  feet  above  the  surface  of  Lake 
Zurich.  It  overlooks  the  lake  and  city,  and  gives  a  fine  view  of  the 
mountains  in  the  distance  and  a  considerable  extent  of  country  at  its 
base.  The  excursion  is  a  very  easy  one  to  make,  as  it  is  accomplished 
by  railway,  the  trains  being  pushed  by  locomotives  behind  them.  The 
grade  of  the  road  is  seven  feet  in  one  hundred,  and  there  are  no  cogs,  as 


A   COG-WHEEL  RAILWAY.  381 

in  the  celebrated  railway  up  the  Rigi,  the  adhesion  of  the  wheels  of  the 
locomotive  on  the  rails  being  quite  sufficient. 

From  the  summit  of  this  mountain  the  Rigi  was  pointed  out,  and 
Mrs.  Bassett  asked  if  they  were  likely  to  go  there. 

"We'll  put  the  question  to  a  popular  vote,"  said  Frank.  "All  in 
favor  of  the  Rigi,  please  raise  the  right  hand !" 

There  Avas  no  occasion  to  call  for  a  negative  vote,  as  all  hands  rose 
to  the  affirmative  without  hesitation. 

"All  right!"  exclaimed  Frank;  "the  Rigi  it  is.  Mr.  Chapman  and 
I  will  arrange  the  details  for  the  excursion." 

On  their  return  to  Zurich  the  telegraph  was  set  in  operation,  and 
rooms  at  the  hotel  on  the  Rigi  were  secured  for  the  following  night. 
The  morning  train  was  taken  for  Zug,  twenty -four  miles  away,  and  then 
a  steamboat  carried  them  the  nine  miles  that  comprise  the  length  of  the 
lake  of  Zug.  The  steamboat  landed  them  at  Arth,  and  as  they  stepped 
on  shore  their  attention  was  drawn  to  a  queer-looking  locomotive,  which 
appeared  ready  to  tumble  over  unless  propped  up. 

'•  Let  me  introduce  you  to  an  American,"  said  Frank  to  his  mother, 
as  he  pointed  to  this  cui'iosity  on  the  railway  track. 

"  Surely  that  cannot  be  a  countryman  of  ours,"  replied  Mrs.  Bassett, 
as  she  directed  her  gaze  towards  a  man  in  a  blue  blouse,  who  stood  by 
the  side  of  the  engine  as  if  waiting  for  orders. 

"  Not  the  man,  mother,"  said  the  youth,  "  but  the  locomotive." 

""Was  that  locomotive  built  in  America?"  -she  asked,  in  a  tone  of 
surprise  mingled  with  contempt. 

"  Probably  not,"  responded  Frank ;  "  but  the  system  was  invented 
in  our  country  for  the  ascent  of  Mount  Washington.  The  Mount 
"Washington  Railway  was  begun  in  1866,  and  as  soon  as  its  success  was 
determined  some  enterprising  speculators  from  Switzerland  visited  the 
United  States  and  inspected  the  new  scheme.  Then  they  began  the 
construction  of  the  Rigi  Railway,  and  since  the  completion  of  this  line 
several  others  have  been  built  in  various  parts  of  Europe." 

"  I  suppose  that,  like  most  other  inventions,  this  was  considered  a 
very  visionary  one  at  first,"  remarked  Mrs.  Bassett. 

"Yes,"  replied  Frank;  "  when  the  projector  of  the  Mount  Washington 
Railway  asked  for  a  charter  from  the  Xew  Hampshire  Legislature,  the 
proposal  was  received  with  laughter,  and  one  member  rose  and  moved 
that  the  gentleman  be  allowed  to  build  a  railway  to  the  moon.  The 
scheme  was  considered  of  so  little  moment  that  some  of  the  members 
were  inclined  to  drop  it  altogether,  on  the  ground  that  their  time  should 


3S2        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

not  lie  wasted  upon  absurdities  of  that  sort.     The  charter  was  finally 
obtained,  and  }tou  know  the  result." 

Our  friends  were  soon  seated  in  the  train,  and  the  ascent  of  the 
Eigi  was  begun.  Mrs.  Bassett  observed  that  the  locomotive,  which 
seemed  ready  to  tip  over  while  on  a  level,  was  all  right  when  it  reached 
the  slope  of  the  mountain.  She  noted  that  between  the  ordinary  rails 
there  were  two  other  rails  equipped  with  teeth,  and  that  a  cog-wheel 
on  the  locomotive  lifted  into  these  teeth.  The  turning  of  this  cog-wheel 
moved  the  train  along. 

The  speed  did  not  exceed  three  miles  an  hour,  or  certainly  it  was 
not  much  above  that  figure.  Frank  told  his  mother  that  the  grade  was 
one  foot  in  five  on  the  line  they  were  travelling,  while  on  the  other  side 
of  the  mountain,  from  Eigi  Culm  to  Lake  Lucerne,  the  gradient  was  one 
foot  in  four.  The  line  from  Lake  Lucerne  is  the  oldest  portion,  and 
was  begun  in  18C9.  The  locomotives  are  of  120  horse-power,  with  up- 
right boilers,  and  they  are  so  constructed  that  Avhile  they  push  the 
trains  up  by  means  of  steam-power,  they  regulate  the  descent  by  ad- 
mitting air  to  the  cylinders  and  using  no  steam  whatever.  In  case  of 
accident  the  motion  of  the  trains  can  be  checked  instantly ;  and  it  is 
claimed  that  there  are  four  ways  of  stopping  a  train,  each  of  them  in- 
dependent of  all  the  others.  In  ascending  the  mountain  the  locomotive 
is  always  behind  the  train;  never  in  front  of  it. 

Less  than  two  hours  from  the  time  they  started  from  Arth  the  party 
had  reached  the  summit  of  the  Rigi  and  found  their  rooms  in  the  hotel. 
On  the  way  tip  the  mountain  they  had  tried  to  enjoy  the  scenery,  but 
their  position  was  not  such  as  to  enable  them  to  study  the  view  to  ad- 
vantage. On  reaching  the  summit  thev  lost  no  time  in  taking  in  the 
scene  that  is  presented  to  the  eye  of  the  traveller  at  that  commanding 
point.     Here  is  what  Mary  said  about  it : 

'•  I  feel  that  I  can  give  but  a  faint  idea  of  the  scenery  from  the  top 
of  the  Eigi.  One  ought  to  have  a  painted  panorama  a  mile  or  two  in 
length  to  do  the  subject  justice ;  and  with  the  panorama  there  should 
be  a  lecture  requiring  not  less  than  an  hour  for  delivery.  Not  having 
the  panorama  and  lecture,  I'll  do  the  best  I  can  without  them. 

"The  Eigi  isn't  a  lofty  mountain,  as  it  is  only  a  trifle  more  than  5900 
feet  above  sea-level,  and  4472  feet  above  Lake  Lucerne.  It  is  covered 
with  grass  to  the  summit,  so  that  any  one  coming  here  to  see  glaciers 
and  heavy  snow-banks  will  be  disappointed.  It  is  steep  on  the  north 
side,  but  on  the  south  it  slopes  away  very  gently  for  a  mountain,  and  is 
covered  with  pastures  and  fields.     The  name  Eigi  is  generally  applied 


ON   THE   RIGI. 


3S3 


only    to    the    peak  where  we  are  now,  but  it  really  belongs 

to  a  group  of  moun-      "^^V      tains  that  lie  between  Lake  Zurich  and 
Lake  Lucerne,  and     ""fllJjf^W.  are  veiT  much  by  themselves. 

"1  am  told  that  '"IB'/ jB&Sta^  tne  v*ew  ^rom  nere  emDraces 
a  territory  300  miles     -W$\m    ffifHIB^  in  circumference,  or 

100  miles   in  diam- 
eter.     The  horizon 
to  the  south  is  filled 
with   the   chain    of 
the   snowy  Alps,  and 
from  this  elevation  we 
can  take  in  from  one 
end    of   the    chain   to 
the  other,  a  distance  of 
120  miles.    To  name  the  peaks 
in  sight  would  be  to  name  nearly 
the  whole  of  the  Alpine  range,  and 
I  forbear.     Between  us  and  the  snow-covered 
mountains  are  the  lower  peaks  of  the  range. 
The  snow  of  last  winter  has   melted    from 
them,  and  they  lie  bleak  and  dark  in  the  mass- 
es of  rock  towards  their  summits  and  the  forests  and  fields  at  their  base. 
Close  at  our  feet  is  the  slope  of  the  Rigi,  with  the  grass  extending  to 
where  we  stand,  and  covering  the  very  peak  with  its  soft  carpet. 

"  Now  let  us  turn  to  the  north  and  note  the  contrast.  Down  the 
precipitous  sides  of  the  BJgi  we  look  upon  fields,  farms,  towns,  villages, 
roads,  lakes,  rivers,  and  every  other  feature  that  goes  to  make  up  the 
landscape  of  a  region  like  that  which  lies  between  us  and  the  northern 
boundary  of  Switzerland.  The  whole  of  Lake  Zug  is  in  sight,  and  so  is 
a  large  part  of  Lakes  Lucerne  and  Zurich.  With  a  good  map  of  the 
region  before  you,  and  time  to  spare,  you  can  study  geography  in  the 
best  of  all  ways ;  but  we  are  too  busy  with  the  attractions  of  the  picture 
to  attend  to  anything  so  practical  as  that. 

"  The  next  time  you  have  the  opportunity,  go  into  the  gallery  of  a 
great  hall  and  look  upon  the  floor  below.  Now  imagine  that  the  floor 
is  covered  with  a  green  carpet,  and  the  carpet  marked  off  into  patches 
of  different  sizes  and  shapes ;  then  imagine  that  it  contains  streaks  of 
silver,  winding  irregularly  as  they  take  their  way  to  plates  of  silver, 
whose  edges  are  irregular,  and  whose  shapes — in  some  cases,  at  least — 
are  more  than  irregular.     Thus  you  have  the  rivers  and  lakes  that  are 


MOUNT     WASHINGTON     RAILWAY- 
PARENT    OF   THE    RIGI    LINE. 


584 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


seen  from  the  Ri.ii'i.  You  can  imagine  the  mountains,  hills,  and  forests 
that  lie  to  the  south,  but  after  you  have  exhausted  your  brain  in  con- 
juring up  a  picture  you  will  still  he  far  short  of  the  reality. 

"  We  watched  the  sunset  from  the  top  of  the  mountain.  The  effect 
was  magnificent,  but  it  was  a  good  deal  spoiled  by  the  noise  of  the 
crowd  around  us,  and  the  sounds  of  an  Alpine  horn  which  was  blown 
by  a  fellow  with  more  persistence  than  musical  taste.  After  annoying 
everybody,  he  passed  his  hat  for  contributions,  ami  I  was  glad  to  see 
that  most  people  refused  to  give.  The  same  man  was  around  early  the 
next  morning  to  call  evervbodv  for  the  sunrise.  We  retired  immediately 
after  sunset,  in  order  to  be  up  in  season  for  the  grand  sight  of  the  Rigi. 
Mr.  Chapman  suggested  that  it  was  inconvenient  to  have  the  sun  come 


MOUNTAIN     AND    TaI.I.FY. 


SUNRISE  ON  THE  RIGI-CULM.  3S5 

up  so  early  in  the  day,  and  he  wondered  why  it  could  not  be  arranged 
to  have  sunrise  occur  about  noon,  or  possibly  an  hour  earlier. 

"We  were  well  repaid  for  our  exertion,  and  were  favored  with  a 
clear  morning  for  the  view.  It  was  dark  when  we  reached  the  mount- 
ain-top, but  very  soon  there  was  a  streak  of  light  in  the  east  which  blot- 
ted out  the  stars  one  by  one,  leaving  the  brightest  to  the  last.  Then 
the  streak  became  a  band  of  gold  at  the  edge  of  the  sky,  and  from  this 
band  there  was  reflected  a  yellowish  tinge  upon  the  peaks  of  snow. 
Brighter  and  brighter  grew  the  tinge,  the  yellow  turned  to  pale  rose, 
and  this  again  to  pink  and  scarlet ;  and  as  it  spread  along  the  mountains 
and  sank  into  the  valleys,  the  whole  scene  gradually  revealed  itself,  as 
a  picture  develops  upon  a  photographic  plate.  The  mountains  glow, 
the  dark  valleys  are  lighted  up,  the  fields  and  roads  evolve  themselves 
from  the  shadows,  the  air  loses  its  chilliness,  the  warmth  and  glow  and 
light  increase  moment  after  moment,  till  at  length  the  sun  displays  its 
disk  from  behind  the  distant  peaks,  and  you  take  a  long  breath  of  relief 
as  the  crowd  melts  away  in  the  direction  of  the  hotel,  and  the  Alpine 
horn  ceases  its  melancholy  twang." 

All  travellers  are  not  as  fortunate  as  were  our  friends,  as  it  often 
happens  that  the  Eigi  is  enveloped  in  clouds  at  the  hour  of  sunrise,  and 
here,  as  elsewhere  in  the  world,  the  sun  makes  no  postponement  on 
account  of  the  weather.  Sometimes  it  happens  that  the  top  of  the 
mountain  is  clear,  while  the  region  below  is  covered  with  clouds,  and 
occasionally  visitors  to  the  Eigi  have  the  novelty  of  looking  upon  a 
thunder-shower  far  below  them,  while  all  is  clear  and  bright  where  they 
stand  and  the  skies  above  are  cloudless. 

From  the  Eigi  our  friends  descended  by  way  of  A'itznau  and  the 
Lake  of  the  Four  Cantons,  better  known,  perhaps,  as  Lake  Lucerne. 
At  Yitznau  they  took  the  steamboat  for  Lucerne,  where  they  finished 
the  day  very  agreeably,  and  went  the  next  morning  on  an  excursion  to 
Fliielen,  at  the  other  end  of  the  lake. 

25 


3S6 


THE  BUY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 


SCENERY  OF  LAKE  LUCERNE.— WILLIAM  TELL.— SPRINGS  OF  THE  RUTLI.— TELL'S 
CUAPEL.— DOUBTS  CONCERNING  THE  TELL  TRADITIONS.— THE  AXENSTRASSE.— 
SAINT  GOTHARD  RAILWAY  AND  TUNNEL. —  A  SPIRAL  RAILWAY.  — HOW  THE 
SAINT  GOTHARD  TUNNEL  WAS  BUILT.— MACHINE-DRILLS  AND  THEIR  WORK.— 
EXACTNESS  OF  ENGINEERING— HOW  THE  TWO  ENDS  OF  THE  TUNNEL  MET  IN 
THE  MOUNTAIN.— CERTAIN  TERMS  EXPLAINED.— INSPECTING  THE  TUNNEL- 
AIR  LOCOMOTIVES.  AND  HOW  THEY  ARE  MADE— LONGEST  TUNNELS  IN  THE 
WORLD— A  TELEGRAM  FROM  DOCTOR  BRONSON.— THE  ARLBERG  TUNNEL  — 
FROM  LUCERNE  TO  INNSBRUCK.  —  THE  ENGADINE  VALLEY.  —  ARRIVAL  AT 
INNSBRUCK. 


THE  travellers  agreed  without  a  dissenting  voice  that  the  Lake  of 
Lucerne  was  not  to  be  surpassed  in  beauty  and  magnificence  of 

scenery  by  any  body  of  inland  water  that  they  had  seen  in  Europe.     In 

every  direction  there  were  mountains;  in  some  places  they  came  ab- 
ruptly to  the 
shore  of  the 
lake,  while  in 
others  there 
were  interven- 
ing slopes  of 
field  and  forest, 
and  here  and 
there  a  bit  of 
level  ground. 
Villas,  castles, 
hotels,  and 
other  edifices 
showed  that  the 
country  was  far 

from  being  uninhabited,  and.  judging  by  their  appearance,  some  of  the 

structures  could  evidently  boast  an  age  of  centuries. 

"  This  is  the  region  that  the  poet  Schiller  has  made  famous  as  the 

scene  of  the  exploits  of  "William  Tell,"  said  Frank. 


DRILLING    MACHINE. 


WILLIAM   TELL   AND  HIS  EXPLOITS.  387 

"  I  was  reading  about  them,"  said  Mary ;  "  and  when  we  pass  the 
springs  of  the  Rutli  and  Tell's  Chapel  I  think  I'll  be  able  to  point  them 
out,  provided  the  description  is  correct." 

"  What  are  the  springs  of  the  Rutli  V  queried  Mrs.  Bassett.  "  I 
don't  think  I've  heard  of  them." 

"  The  tradition  is,"  the  girl  answered,  "  that  there  is  a  point  near  the 
lake  where  the  three  cantons  of  Uri,  Schwyz,  and  Unterwalden  meet. 
On  the  night  of  November  7, 1307,  thirty-three  men  from  these  cantons 
met  at  this  spot,  and  bound  themselves  by  an  oath  to  give  their  lives, 
their  fortunes,  and  their  honor  to  freeing  their  land  from  the  oppressors 
that  then  held  it.  Here  is  the  description  of  it  from  Schiller's  '  William 
Tell :' 

"  '  On  the  lake's  left  bank, 
As  we  sail  hence  to  Brunnen  right  against 
The  Mythenstein,  deep  hidden  in  the  wood 
A  meadow  lies,  by  shepherds  called  the  Rootli, 
Because  the  wood  has  been  uprooted  there. 
'Tis  where  our  canton's  boundaries  verge  on  yours  ; 
Thither  by  lonely  by-paths  let  us  wend 
At  midnight  and  deliberate  o'er  our  plans.'" 

" Is  that  where  the  three  springs  are?"  Mrs.  Bassett  asked. 

"  Yes ;  the  tradition  is  that  where  the  three  conspirators,  the  leaders 
from  each  of  the  three  cantons,  stood  up  and  took  their  oath  of  fidelity 
to  each  other,  three  springs  burst  forth,  and  have  been  flowing  ever 
since.  At  any  rate,  the  springs  are  there,  and  I  suppose  it  is  proper  to 
believe  the  rest  of  the  story." 

"  Did  you  not  tell  us  at  Geneva  that  the  story  of  Tell's  exploit  with 
the  arrow  and  apple  on  his  son's  head  is  supposed  to  be  a  myth,"  Mrs. 
Bassett  asked,  as  she  turned  towards  Frank. 

"  That  is  the  belief  of  men  who  have  investigated  the  story,"  was 
the  reply.  "They  show  that  the  chroniclers  of  Tell's  time  make  no 
mention  of  the  exploit,  and  it  did  not  appear  until  a  century  and  a  half 
after  the  alleged  occurrence.  Modern  writers  show  that  the  legend 
was  taken  bodily  from  Norse  chronicles  of  the  tenth  century,  wherein 
the  wicked  King  Harold  ordered  an  archer  named  Toko  to  pierce  an 
apple  on  the  head  of  his  son.  Toko  told  the  boy  to  turn  his  head  so 
that  their  eyes  should  not  meet  and  thus  disturb  his  aim ;  then  he  took 
three  arrows,  and  with  the  first  he  hit  the  apple.  The  King  asked  him 
what  the  other  arrows  were  for,  and  Toko  answered, '  The  second  should 
have  pierced  thy  heart,  and  the  third  that  of  any  one  who  moved.'     So 


3SS 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


vou  see  that  the  apple  story  is  three  hundred  years  older  than  the  time 
of  William  Tell  and  the  tyrant  Gesler." 

"But  there  is  Tell's  Chapel."  said  Mary,  pointing  to  the  structure, 
which  is  said  to  have  been  erected  by  the  Canton  of  L'ri,  in  1388,  on  the 

spot  where  Tell 
sprang  from 
Gesler's  boat. 

"  It  is  of  a 
much  later  con- 
struction than 
that,"  Frank  an- 
swered ;  "  but  it 
will  do  no  harm 
to  accept  it  as 
a  genuine  mon- 
ument." 

"  I  wonder  if 
they  have  the 
real  apple  and 
arrow  preserved 
there."  said 
Mr.  Chapman. 
"  Those  things 
we  might  possi- 
bly accept  as 
genuine,  and 
also  the  hat  of 
the  tyrant  Ges- 
ler, provided  it 
is  not  a  silk  one, 
with  the  label 
of  a  New  York 
or  London  hat 
manufacturer  on  the  inside  lining  or  on  the  box  that  contains  it." 

"  Let  us  come  to  things  of  more  modern  times."  said  Fred  ;  "and  we 
will  dismiss  Tell  and  his  traditions  with  the  regret  that  the  pretty  story 
has  been  spoiled  by  investigation.  There  does  appear  to  have  been  a 
man  named  Tell  among  those  who  fought  to  relieve  the  Forest  Cantons 
from  the  rule  of  the  tyrants  which  the  Austrian  House  of  Hapsburg 
had  placed  over  them.     The  patriots  allied  themselves  with  the  cause 


VILLAGE    SCENE 


HOW  THE   SWISS   SECURED   INDEPENDENCE. 


3S9 


of  the  rival  monarch,  Adolph  of  Nassau,  and  during  the  struggle  he  con- 
firmed their  ancient  privileges.  After  the  Hapsburgs  were  driven  out 
Adolph  took  away  the  privileges  he  had  granted,  but  his  rule  seems 
to  have  been  quite  mild  by  comparison  with  that  of  his  predecessor. 
The  Swiss  did  not  remain  content  till  they  had  secured  their  independ. 
ence.  In  one  form  and  another,  the  struggle  lasted  for  200  years 
after  the  time  of  Tell,  and  ended  in  the  independence  of  the  cantons." 

Between  Tell's  chapel  and  the  end  of  the  lake  Frank  called  atten- 
tion to  a  road,  which  was  cut  in  the  side  of  the  mountain  that  came 
down  with  a  precipitous  side  to  the  water's  edge. 

"  That  is  the  Axenstrasse,"  said  Frank,  "  and  it  is  an  excellent  speci- 
men of  Swiss  road-making.     In  some  places  it  is  in  the  form  of  an  open 
shelf  in  the  rock,  while  in  others 
it  consists  of  tunnels  with  open- 
ings at  the  side  for  the  admission 
of  light." 

"  There's  a  railway  there,  too," 
said  Mary.     "  See  the  train  dart- 


THE    AXENSTRASSE. 


390        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

ing  in  and  out  of  the  tunnels,  and  winding  along  the  side  of  the  lake. 
It  must  have  been  a  bold  engineer  who  placed  the  railway  there." 

"  The  line  is  a  new  one,"  said  Mr.  Chapman,  "  and  was  built  quite 
recently,  as  a  link  in  the  Saint  Gothard  route  through  the  Alps."' 

"Please  tell  us  about  it,"  said  Katie — "I  mean  the  Saint  Gothard 
tunnel.     I'm  sure  all  would  like  to  know  about  it." 

"  Certainly  we  would,"  said  Mrs.  Bassett,  and  the  rest  of  the  party 
expressed  a  similar  desire  for  information. 

Thus  encouraged,  Mr.  Chapman  spoke  substantially  as  follows  : 

"  You  have  heard  of  the  Mont  Cenis  Tunnel,  the  one  under  the  Savoy 
Alps,  between  France  and  Italy,  have  you  not  ?"  he  asked,  beginning 
his  story  with  a  question,  which  is  the  way  of  some  people. 

All  the  party  indicated  a  knowledge  of  that  route  of  travel.  Next 
he  asked  if  they  knew  of  the  railway  over  the  Brenner  Pass,  between 
Italy  and  Austria,  and  this  question  received  a  similar  assent. 

"  Well,"  continued  the  gentleman,  "  Germany  and  Switzerland  found 
that  these  two  routes  were  taking  away  much  of  their  trade  and  travel 
with  Italy,  and  unless  they  were  willing  to  lose  the  business  altogether 
it  was  necessary  for  them  to  create  a  new  route  about  midway  between 
the  two.  They  decided  upon  the  Saint  Gothard  route,  and  induced 
Italy  to  join  them  in  granting  large  subsidies  to  the  construction  of  the 
road,  which  was  altogether  too  great  an  undertaking  for  private  capital 
to  engage  in  with  any  hope  of  profit. 

"  You  have  seen  how  the  railway  along  the  lake  runs  through  tun- 
nels. Well,  there  are  tunnels  on  the  Saint  Gothard  route  amounting  in 
all  to  more  than  twenty-two  miles,  in  a  total  distance  of  one  hundred 
and  eight  miles  from  Lake  Lucerne  in  Switzerland  to  Lake  Maffgiore  in 

D  DO 

Italy  ;  this  includes  the  great  central  tunnel." 

"  Twenty -two  miles  of  underground  riding  in  travelling  one  hundred 
and  eight  miles !"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Bassett.  "  The  scenery  must  be  some- 
what monotonous  on  that  journey." 

"  Yes,  it  is,  in  the  tunnels."  was  the  reply :  "  but  it  is  magnificent  on 
the  other  four-fifths  of  the  route.  Tunnel  scenery  is  pretty  much  the 
same  all  the  world  over.  But  there's  a  peculiarity  about  these  tunnels 
that  was  never  before  adopted  on  a  railway  line." 

""What  is  that ?" 

'•Seven  of  them  are  built  in  a  spiral  form  inside  the  mountains 
where  they  are.  Wind  a  string  around  your  finger  in  the  form  of  a 
screw  and  you  can  have  an  idea  of  the  shape  of  these  tunnels." 

"Why  did  they  make  them  that  way?" 


A   SPIRAL   TUNNEL. 


391 


"  In  order  to  gain  ele- 
vation. The  Swiss  end 
of  the  tunnel  is  at  Ges- 
chenen,  3639  feet  above 
the  sea,  and  more  than 
2200  feet  above  Lake  Lu- 
cerne. It  is  less  than 
twenty  miles  from  the 
lake  to  Gesehenen,  and 
so  it  was  necessary  to  have 
the  road  twist  around  a 
good  deal  in  order  to 
avoid  too  steep  a  grade. 
It  was  found  cheaper  to 
do  the  twisting  in  tunnels 
rather  than  in  the  open 
air,  and  that  is  the  reason 
for  the  spirals  in  the 
mountains."1 

"  I  understand,''  said 
Mrs.  Bassett.  "  It  is  just 
for  the  same  reason  that 
we  make  a  spiral  or  wind- 
ing staircase  in  a  house 
■where  a  straight  one 
would  be  too  steep.'' 

"  That  is  it  exactly,'' 
replied  Mr.  Chapman. 
"  Some  of  these  winding 
tunnels  are  more  than  a 
mile  in  length,  but  they 
are  mere  trifles  compared 
to  the  main  tunnel,  which 
is  nine  and  a  half  miles 
long  from  the  Swiss  to 
the  Italian  end." 

"  How  did  they  make 
it,  and  how  long  did  it  take  them  to  get  through  from  one  country 
to  the  other?"  Mrs.  Bassett  asked,  evidently  with  a  great  deal  of  interest. 

"  The  work  was  begun  in  1ST2  and  finished  in  1881,"  was  the  reply ; 


SAINT   GOTHARD    PASS. 


3»2 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  EN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


''and  the  cost  of  it  was  over  sixty  millions  of  dollars.  There  was  a 
mistake  in  the  calculations  of  the  expense  which  was  placed  at  about 
half  of  what  it  ultimately  proved  to  be.  This  mistake  caused  a  delay 
in  the  completion  of  the  work,  which  was  altogether  suspended  for  a 
time  while  the  additional  money  was  being  raised. 

"Now  as  to  the  way  the  tunnel  was  made:  I  was  here  soon  after 
they  began  operations,  and  went  into  the  tunnel  as  far  as  it  was  then 
completed.     And  here  comes  in  a  bit  of  history  as  to  boring  in  rock." 
"What  is  that?" 

••  Down  to  about  the  year  1S60  tunnelling  in  rock  had  been  done 
with  hand-drills.     Hand-drills  were  used  for  three  years  on  the  Mont 
Cenis  Tunnel,  which  was  begun  in  1857;  and  the  necessity  of  increasing 
the  rate  of  progress  led  to  the  invention  of  machine-drills.*' 
"  Who  invented  them  I"  Fred  asked. 

"The  invention  has  been  claimed  in  America.  England,  Italy,  and 
France,"  was  the  reply;  "and  it  is  fair  to  say  that  all  those  countries 
have  been  concerned  in  bringing  the  machine-drill  to  its  present  state  of 
perfection.  An  Englishman  invented,  in  1S55,  a  drill  to  be  operated  by 
steam-power,  and  about  the  same  time  an  Italian  engineer  devised  a 
process  of  compressing  air  by  means  of  water-power,  so  as  to  use  it  in 
propelling  trains  up  a  slope  of  the  Apennines.  The  Mont  Cenis  Tunnel 
was  then  under  consideration,  and  when  work  was  begun  on  it  in  1S57 

this  same  Ital- 
ian engineer,  M. 
Sommellier,  was 
engaged  upon 
it.  The  drilling 
was  done  by 
hand, and  when 
M.  Sommellier 
heard  of  the 
English  steam- 
drill  he  con- 
ceived the  idea 
of  combining  it 
with    his    com- 


AIR  COMPRESSOR. 


pressed-air  pow- 
er machine,  and  using  the  combination  for  boring  through  the  Alps. 

"  He  combined  the  two  inventions,  and  the  engineering  world  knows 
how  successful  the  power-drill  has  been.     American  inventors  have  im- 


DRILLING   BY  MACHINERY. 


393 


proved  upon  the  original, 
and  while  the  Mont  Cenis 
and  Saint  Gothard  tunnels 
were  bored  with  the  drills 
of  Sommellier  and  other  Eu- 
ropean inventors,  the  Hoosae 
Tunnel  in  Massachusetts,  and 
also  many  other  American 
tunnels,  have  been  bored  by 
American  machines.  The  air 
that  works  the  drills  is  the 
pure  air  from  outside.  As 
it  does  its  work  and  is  re- 
leased, it  fills  the  space  at 
the  end  of  the  tunnel,  and 
thus  serves  an  excellent  pur- 
pose in  the  way  of  much- 
needed  ventilation. 

"  The  machine-drills  are 
arranged  so  that  they  can 
be  worked  singly,  the  air 
being  supplied  by  a  flexible 
pipe;  or  several  of  them 
may  be  mounted  side  by 
side  on  a  frame,  and  made 
to  attack  the  face  of  the 
rock  simultaneously.  Holes 
are  drilled  in  the  rock  in  the 
same  way  as  by  hand-drills, 
only  very  much  more  rap- 
idly. Then  the  holes  are 
charged  with  explosives,  and 
by  means  of  an  electric  wire 
the  charges  are  fired  simul- 
taneously. Before  the  explo- 
sion the  machines  are  drawn 

back  a  short  distance,  and  the  workmen  retire  to  a  place  of  safety. 
After  the  explosion,  the  smoke  is  driven  away  by  the  admission  of  air 
through  the  pipes,  the  broken  stone  is  removed,  and  the  place  is  made 
ready  for  renewed  drilling,  to  be  followed  by  another  blast.     Day  and 


A    STREET    IN    AIROLO. 


394        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

night  the  work  goes  steadily  on — week  after  week,  month  after  month, 
and  year  after  year — till  at  length  the  workmen  from  the  opposite  sides 
meet  in  the  middle  of  the  mountain,  and  the  tunnel  is  completed." 

'"You  say  they  meet  in  the  middle  of  the  mountain!"  Mrs.  IJassctt 
remarked.  "How  can  they  start  on  opposite  sides  of  a  mountain  miles 
away  and  out  of  sight,  and  know  they  are  going  to  meet  in  the  mid- 
dle of  it  (     That's  what  I  can't  understand." 

"That  is  a  matter  of  science  in  surveying,"  was  the  reply  "The 
surveys  were  made  over  the  mountain,  and  required  the  most  exact  cal- 
culations. That  they  were  exact  is  shown  by  the  circumstances  that 
when  the  ends  of  the  tunnel  met  in  the  middle  of  the  mountain  they 
were  only  a  fraction  of  an  inch  out  of  the  way.  In  the  Mont  Cenis  Tun- 
nel they  were  only  a  few  inches  from  meeting  exactly,  and  any  modern 
engineer  would  be  ashamed  of  himself  if  he  made  an  error  of  half  a  foot 
in  his  calculations  concerning  the  point  of  meeting. 

"  And  the  survej's  are  made  under  great  disadvantages,"  he  con- 
tinued. "  The  surveyors  must  climb  the  rugged  sides  of  the  mountains, 
and  very  often  they  are  among  the  snows  and  whirlwinds  of  elevated 
points,  where  their  lives  are  in  peril.  They  must  keep  to  their  line,  no 
matter  where  it  carries  them;  and  not  infrequently  they  are  suspended 
over  precipices  or  down  the  sides  of  steep  cliffs  by  means  of  ropes,  and 
in  these  dangerous  and  uncomfortable  positions  they  must  manipulate 
the  most  delicate  instruments  used  in  their  profession.  The  wonder  is 
that  they  are  able  to  locate  a  line  so  that  when  the  work  is  pushed  for- 
Avard  the  ends  of  the  tunnel  ever  meet  at  all." 

Mrs.  Bassett  agreed  with  him,  and  said  she  never  knew  before  the 
exactness  of  the  work  of  the  skilled  surveyor. 

"  In  reading  about  tunnels,"  she  continued,  "  I  have  found  things  I 
did  not  understand.  I  got  all  confused  with  galleries,  drifts,  headings, 
and  I  don't  know  what  else.  Please  explain  them  to  me,  and  perhaps 
the  rest  of  the  party  will  be  as  grateful  as  I  am  for  the  explanation." 

"  Well,"  was  the  reply,  "  the  gallery  is  the  tunnel  as  it  is  first  cut  in 
the  rock,  the  heading  is  the  most  advanced  portion  of  the  gallery,  and 
the  drift  is  the  most  advanced  portion  of  the  heading.  You  see,  they 
do  not  cut  the  whole  and  complete  tunnel  all  at  once.  They  bore  a  hole 
where  the  drift  is  to  lie,  and  a  few  holes  around  it  in  a  circle,  perhaps 
two  feet  in  diameter  and  a  yard  or  more  in  depth.  Then  they  make  a 
blast  to  open  up  this  space,  and  when  it  is  opened  they  drill  a  circle  of 
holes  around  the  space,  and  then  charge  and  explode  them.  The  rock 
breaks  in  the  direction  where  it  is  weakest,  and  this  is  towards  the  space 


HOW  A  TUNNEL   IS  MADE. 


395 


in  the  centre.  The  process  is  continued,  the  circle  being  enlarged  each 
time  till  the  gallery  is  completed  and  a  new  heading  is  made.'' 
"  Do  they  finish  the  whole  tunnel  as  they  go  along  ?" 
"  Sometimes  they  do,  but  not  generally.  Much  depends  upon  the 
character  of  the  rock  where  they  are  working.  If  it  is  very  soft,  the 
arching  must  be  done  at  once,  to  keep  the  roof  from  falling,  or  perhaps 
slowly  sinking  down  till  it  closes  up  the  tunnel  altogether.  Where  the 
rock  is  hard  the  arching  is  done  very  leisurely,  and  sometimes  the 
gallery  is  pushed  ahead  for  a  mile  or  more  at  a  height  just  sufficient  for 
the  men  to  work,  the  rest  of  the  rock  being  blasted  awaj7  and  removed 
to  the  outside  by  other  gangs  of  men. 

"AYhen  I  went  into  the  tunnel,"  said  Mr.  Chapman,  "I  had  to  put 
on  a  suit  of  miner's  clothing  to  save  my  own  garments  from  injury. 


AIK-LOCOMOTIVK. 


The  clothes  they  gave  me  appeared  to  be  composed  of  equal  parts  of 
mud  and  cotton,  with  enough  petroleum  to  give  them  a  strong  odor. 
Then  they  gave  me  a  thick  felt  hat,  and  a  pair  of  boots  which  rose 
above  the  knee.     My  conductor  explained  that  there  was  a  great  deal 


390 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


"--  ■HtlLin. 

CROSS-SKCTION    OF    GALLERY. 


of  water  in  the  tunnel,  and  they  were  constantly  finding  new  seams  of 
it.  For  convenience  of  drainage,  the  tunnel  slopes  upward  from  each 
end  to  the  point  of  meeting.     The  slope  on  the  Geschenen,  or  northern 

end,    is    six    feet    in 

1 i;  on  the  Airolo, 

or  southern  end.  it  is 
one  foot  in  1000  feet. 
••  We  were  taken 
into  the  tunnel  by 
an  air-locomotive — 
the  first  engine  of 
the  kind  I  had  ever 
seen." 

"  What  is  an  air- 
locomotive  ?"  one  of 
the  listeners  asked. 

••  It  is  a  locomo- 
tive in  which  com- 
pressed air  is  the  mo- 
tive-power instead  of 
steam.  The  propel- 
ling machinery  is  much  like  that  of  the  ordinary  locomotive;  but  in 
place  of  the  boiler  and  fire-box  with  a  glowing  fire  there  is  a  cylin- 
der that  looks  like  a  great  boiler  without  a  funnel.  Air  at  the  pressure 
of  twelve  or  fifteen  atmospheres  (180  to  225  pounds  to  the  square  inch) 
is  forced  into  this  cylinder,  and  this  is  the  power  that  drives  the  loco- 
motive along  the  railway  track." 

"  How  do  they  compress  the  air  C 

"The  compression  is  done  near  the  entrance  of  the  tunnel,  where 
there  is  a  shed  containing  a  long  row  of  compressors,  which  are  noth- 
ing more  nor  less  than  the  great  air-pumps,  propelled  by  the  river  that 
comes  down  from  the  mountain-side,  and  had  been  wasting  its  force  for 
thousands  of  years  until  the  engineers  came  along  and  harnessed  it. 
Really,  it  is  the  river  Reuss  that  has  bored  the  Saint  Gothard  Tunnel, 
or  the  northern  half  of  it;  the  river  works  the  air-compressors,  and  the 
compressed  air  is  carried  in  pipes  into  the  mountain, where  it  operates  the 
drills  and  ventilates  the  gallery,  so  that  the  workmen  are  not  suffocated." 
"  Isn't  there  a  great  deal  of  power  going  to  waste  all  over  the  world 
that  might  be  utilized  in  compressing  air,  which  could  be  taken  in  pipes 
to  where  it  could  operate  machinery  ("  Frank  asked. 


AN   AIR-LOCOMOTIVE. 


397 


"  Certainly  there  is,"  was  the  reply  ;  "  and  the  wonder  is  that  so 
little  has  been  done  thus  far  towards  saving  it.  There  is  power  enough 
at  Niagara  Falls  to  run  all  the  machinery  in  America,  and  there  is 
power  enough  in  the  tides  along  the  coast,  and  in  the  breaking  of  the 
waves  on  the  beaches  of  the  ocean,  to  take  the  place  of  all  the  steam- 
engines  that  were  ever  constructed.  But  we  are  getting  away  from 
the  tunnel  under  the  Saint  Gothard  mountain. 

"As  I  was  saying,  the  air -locomotive  carried  me  into  the  tunnel, 
and  very  soon  I  was  near  the  heading.  The  noise  of  the  drilling- 
machines  was  deafening,  and  it  was  impossible  for  us  to  converse.  The 
workmen  do  not  attempt  to  talk,  all  orders  being  given  by  signs,  and  it 
is  only  when  the  operation  of  the  drills  stops  that  talking  is  possible. 
"When  the  locomotive  stopped  they  gave  each  of  us  a  lantern,  and  we 
picked  our  way  over  the  rough  bottom  of  the  tunnel  till  we  reached  the 
heading.  The  noise  increased  at  every  step;  we  were  half- drenched 
with  water  trickling  from  the  ceiling,  and  in  some  places  it  was  gushing 
in  small  streams.  Our  conductor  said  that  sometimes  it  burst  forth 
with  such  force  as  to  suspend  operations,  and  once  a  stream  of  consider- 
able size  rushed  in  and  frightened  everybody,  so  that  they  ran  in  a  panic 
towards  the  entrance  of  the  tunnel. 

"They  showed  me  a  place  win-re  the  .,.,  ,:       iMmjmm>m»*^ 

bottom  of  the  tunnel  bulged  up,  and 
made  it  necessary  to  arch  it  below  as 
well  as  above.  Since  I  was  there,  they 
came  upon  a  place  where  the  rock  was 
soft,  and  the  great  weight  of  the  mount- 
ain above  caused  it  to  contract  beyond 
the  power  of  ordinary  brick  arching  to 
resist.  They  made  an  archway  of  heavy 
plates  and  blocks  of  steel,  and  this  was  the 
only  thing  that  kept  the  rock  under  con- 
trol and  preserved  the  tunnel. 

"It  was    hot  in   the  tunnel,   the  ther- 
mometer standing  at  about  80°  Fahren- 
heit, and  the  exertion  of  walking  made 
me  perspire  freely.     The  workmen  were 
very  thinly  clad,  boots,  trousers,  and  hats 

comprising  the  garbs  of  most  of  them.  The  workmen  were  all  Italians. 
The  Germans  and  Swiss  seemed  quite  willing  to  allow  the  Italians  to  do 
this  underground  work,  which  is  neither  agreeable  nor  free  from  danger. 


%/ 


LONGITUDINAL    SECTION    OF    GALLERY. 


398 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


The  fact  was  the  Italians  would  do  the  work  for  less  money  than  any 
other  people  ;  they  received  from  three  to  six  francs  a  day  (60  cents  to 
$1.20),  and  boarded  themselves.  The  average  wages  were  about  80 
cents,  and  out  of  this  they  managed  to  live  on  about  one-half  the 
amount  they  received,  and  sent  the  rest  to  their  families  in  Italy." 

"  You  haven't  told  us  how 
large  the  tunnel  is,"  said  Mrs. 
Chapman,  who  had  been  listening 
with  the  same  interest  as  the  rest. 
"  Excuse  me  ;  I  thought  I  men- 
tioned it.  The  Saint  Gothard  Tun- 
nel is  the  same,  or  very  nearly  the 
same,  size  as  the  Mont  Cenis  Tun- 
nel. It  is  42  feet  wide  at  the  bot- 
tom, and  26  feet  at  the  springing 
of  the  arch,  while  the  centre  of 
the  arch  is  19  feet  from  the  floor. 
There  are  two  railway  tracks,  so 
that  trains  may  run  in  either  direc- 
tion at  the  same  time ;  and  be- 
tween the  tracks  there  is  a  covered 
way  arched  with  masonry  for  pur- 
poses of  drainage.  While  they  were 
building  the  tunnel  this  covered 
way  was  found  very  convenient 
for  the  men  employed  in  its  construction  when  falls  of  rock  had  blocked 
up  the  gallery,  as  it  is  large  enough  for  a  man  to  crawl  through." 

Mr.  Chapman  said  that  the  Saint  Gothard  Tunnel  is  the  longest  in  the 
world,  and  will  probably  hold  that  rank  for  some  time  to  come.  He  had 
heard  of  a  proposal  to  build  a  tunnel  under  the  Simplon  Pass,  and  also 
one  under  Mont  Blanc;  but  thus  far  the  projects  had  not  taken  practi- 
cal shape.  In  answer  to  a  question  by  Mrs.  Bassett,  he  said  that  the 
longest  tunnel  in  America  was  that  beneath  the  Hoosac  Mountain,  in 
Massachusetts,  four  and  a  half  miles  from  one  end  to  the  other.  It  was 
proposed  as  early  as  1S25,  but  work  was  not  begun  upon  it  until  more 
than  twenty  years  later,  and  the  tunnel  was  not  completed  until  the  be- 
ginning of  1S75.  The  first  train  of  cars  ran  through  Hoosac  Tunnel  on 
April  5th  of  that  year,  and  regular  service  began  soon  after. 

From  Fluelen  our  friends  returned  to  Lucerne  by  the  same  boat  that 
carried  them  up  the  lake.     Mrs.  Bassett  thought  she  would  like  to  cross 


SCALE    OF    FEET 


SECTION    OF   TINSEL. 


THE   SAINT  GOTHARD  PASS. 


390 


the    Saint    Gothard 
Pass  in  the  old  way, 
but    learned    that 
since  the  completion 
of  the  tunnel  there 
was  comparatively- 
little  pleasure  travel 
over  the   mountain. 
The  present  road  over  the  mountain 
was  completed  in  1S32.    Before  that 
time  it  was  simply  a  bridle-path; 
but  it  was  the  most  frequented  of 
all  the  passes  of  the  Alps  until  the 
commencement  of  the  present  cen- 
tury, when  the  construction  of  roads 
over  the  Simplon.  Spliigen,  and  San 
Bernardino  passes  caused  it  to  be 
almost  deserted.      The   completion 

of  the  road  quickly  restored  its  old  popularity,  which  it  continued  to 
hold  until  the  railway  was  opened  and  obtained  a  monopoly  of  travel. 

During  their  return  voyage  to  Lucerne  the  party  discussed  plans  for 
the  continuation  of  their  journey,  but  without  coming  to  an}*  definite 


BELL1NZUNA,   O.N   THE    SAINT  GOTHARD    ROCTE. 


400        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

conclusion.  "When  they  reached  the  hotel  Frank  found  a  telegram  from 
Doctor  Bronson  which  enabled  them  to  come  to  a  conclusion  very 
speedily.     It  ran  as  follows  : 

"If  not  interfering  with  your  plans,  meet  me  at  Four  Seasons 
Hotel,  Munich,  next  Saturday.     Answer  at  Berlin." 

"That  is  easy  enough,"  said  Frank.  "It  is  now  Tuesday,  and  we 
can  go  to  Munich  by  leisurely  stages." 

"Leisurely  enough  they  may  be,"  replied  Fred.  "We  will  go  by 
Ulm  and  Augsburg,  I  suppose." 

"Better  than  that,  I  was  about  to  suggest,  is  to  go  by  the  Arlberg 
Tunnel  and  Railway  to  Innsbruck,  and  thence  to  Munich.  It  will  take 
us  over  a  short  distance  that  you  and  I  have  travelled,  but  which  will 
be  new  to  mamma  and  Mary. 

"Furthermore,"  said  Frank,  turning  to  Mrs.  Bassett,  "it  will  give 
you  a  chance  to  imagine  you  are  passing  through  the  Saint  Gothard 
Tunnel.  The  Arlberg  Tunnel  isn't  as  long  as  the  Saint  Gothard.  but  it 
is  more  than  six  miles  from  one  end  of  it  to  the  other,  and  that  will 
be  quite  sufficient  for  all  practical  purposes." 

"I  didn't  know  about  the  Arlberg  Tunnel,"  said  Mary,  "although  I 
was  reading  about  the  Tyrol  this  very  morning." 

"Very  naturally  you  didn't  know  of  it.  as  the  book  you  were  reading 
was  printed  before  the  railway  from  Innsbruck  to  Bregenz  (121  miles) 
was  completed.  The  tunnel  was  begun  in  June,  1SS0,  and  the  first  train 
went  through  it  on  November  13,  1883.  The  entire  line  was  finished 
and  formally  inaugurated  with  great  ceremonies  by  the  Emperor  of 
Austria,  in  September  of  the  following  year." 

As  already  stated,  a  part  of  the  journey  from  Lucerne  to  Innsbruck 
was  made  over  the  route  already  visited  by  Frank  and  Fred  in  their 
excursion  from  the  falls  of  the  Bhine,  and  the  rest  of  it  was  accom- 
plished as  quickly  as  possible.  Mrs.  Bassett  suggested  that  a  few 
mountains  and  valleys,  more  or  less,  would  make  no  material  difference 
in  their  travels  in  Switzerland  :  and.  as  already  stated,  she  wished  to 
keep  something  for  a  subsequent  visit.  "  I'm  glad,"  she  added.  "  that 
we  are  to  visit  the  Tyrol.  Blease  tell  me  what  is  the  difference  or  the 
resemblance  between  the  Tyrol  and  Switzerland  '." 

"  The  scenery  of  the  Tyrol  is  essentially  Swiss  in  character."  said 
Frank,  "  as  it  is  traversed  by  the  chains  of  the  Alps,  so  that  it  is  a  very 
mountainous  region.  Geographically  it  is  a  province  of  Austria,  and  is 
bounded  on  the  north  by  Bavaria,  east  by  Salzburg  and  Carinthia.  south 
by  Italy,  and  west  by  Switzerland.     About  one-third  of  its  surface  is 


TYROL   AND   THE   TYROLESE. 


40 1 


covered  by  rocks,  glaciers,  or  perpetual  snows,  as  many  of  the  mount- 
ains rise  above  the  snow-line  of  the  Alps ;  another  third  is  covered  with 
forests,  and  the  remaining  third  consists  of  pastures  and  farming  lands." 

"  Do  the  people  resemble  the  Swiss  V 

"  They  are  much  like  the  Swiss,"  was  the  reply,  "  though  there  are 
certain  points  of  difference,  Avhich  may  be  attributed  to  political  causes 
more  than  to  anything  else.  The}r  are  an  industrious  race,  finely  formed 
and  robust,  fond  of  the  mountains  and  their  mountain  homes,  and  de- 
voted to  their  native  laud.  They  have  a  great  many  national  songs, 
which  they  preserve  with  the  utmost  care,  and  they  are  as  pious  as  they 
are  patriotic.  Two -thirds  of  the  900,000  inhabitants  are  of  German 
descent  and  one-third  Italian.  All  are  devout  Eoman  Catholics,  with 
but  comparatively  few  exceptions. 

"  The  Rhine  is  the  boundary  be- 
tween Switzerland  and  the  Tyrol, 
and  when  we  pass  that  river  we 
shall  be  out  of  the  republic  and  in 
the  monarchy  of  Austria-Hungary ; 
but  to  Innsbruck  and  beyond  it  the 
scenery  will  be  almost  identical 
with  that  in  which  we  have  passed 
the  greater  part  of  our  time  since 
our  arrival  at  Geneva." 

The  Chapman  family  concluded 
to  remain  a  short  time  longer  in 
Switzerland.  Xo  definite  arrange- 
ments were  made  for  a  future 
meeting'  but  it  was  agreed  that 
the  two  parties  would  be  informed 
of  each  other's  movements,  and 
quite  likely  they  would  come  to- 
gether again  at  no  distant  date. 

"When  our  friends  passed  Lan- 
deck,  and  were  still  some  forty 
and  odd  miles  from  Innsbruck, 
they  found  themselves  in  the  val- 
ley of  the  impetuous  river  Inn. 
On  each  side  of  the  valley  the 
mountains  rose  abrupthy,  sometimes 
in  comparatively  gentle  slopes  ;  oc- 


SiSs, 


TTR0LE5E  PEASAKT  GIRL. 


4:02        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAX  EUROPE. 

casionally  the  valley  opened  to  considerable  widths,  and  again  there 
seemed  to  be  hardly  room  enough  for  river  and  railway  without  inter- 
fering with  one  another.  The  railway,  as  the  latest  comer,  treated  the 
river  with  great  respect,  and  occasionally  retired  into  a  tunnel  or  crossed 
from  one  bank  to  the  other,  rather  than  interfere  with  the  course  of  the 
stream.  Perhaps  this  policy  was  dictated  by  fear  of  what  the  river 
might  do  in  retaliation  rather  than  out  of  pure  politeness. 

The  Inn  rises  in  Switzerland  at  an  elevation  of  nearly  7000  feet,  so 
that  it  has  abundant  space  for  its  descent.  Through  the  mountains  and 
as  far  as  Innsbruck  it  is  a  swift  stream,  with  many  falls  and  rapids. 
Navigation  begins  at  Innsbruck  and  is  continued  to  Passau,  where  the 
river  joins  the  Danube,  of  which  it  is  one  of  the  principal  tributaries. 

"  Isn't  the  Engadine  valley  on  the  Inn  ?"  Mary  asked,  as  she  looked 
from  the  window  of  the  car  at  the  swift-flowing  stream. 

"  Yes,"  replied  Frank ;  "  it  extends  nearly  sixty  miles  along  the  river, 
and  is  rarely  more  than  a  mile  in  width.  The  Upper  Engadine  is  at  an 
elevation  of  nearly  6000  feet,  and  is  much  visited  in  summer  by  inva- 
lids. There  are  frosts  in  all  the  months  of  the  year,  and  in  the  winter 
the  thermometer  drops  to  30°  below  zero." 

"  That  is  where  the  inhabitants  describe  their  climate  as  '  nine 
months  winter  and  three  months  cold,'  is  it  not  ?"  queried  Fred. 

"  Yes,"  was  the  reply ;  "  anil  they  do  not  exaggerate  very  much  when 
they  say  it.  In  some  places  the  valley  is  so  narrow  that  the  sun  reaches 
the  bottom  for  only  a  few  hours  each  day  in  summer,  and  hardly  at  all 
in  winter.  One  American  visitor  declares  that  when  he  was  there  the 
sun  never  got  into  the  valley  until  the  forenoon  of  next  day. 

"  The  climate  is  so  dry,"  continued  Frank.  "  that  meat  will  be  per- 
fectly preserved  from  October  to  May  when  hung  in  the  open  air.  and 
there  is  a  wonderful  purity  in  the  atmosphere.  People  who  have  been 
there  say  they  have  never  seen  so  blue  a  sky  elsewhere,  and  the  atmos- 
phere is  so  clear  that  objects  can  be  seen  to  a  remarkable  distance. 
The  pasturage  in  the  valley  is  very  rich,  and  there  is  considerable  gar- 
dening in  the  lower  part  of  the  valley,  but  very  little  in  the  upper." 

There  was  further  conversation  concerning  the  river  on  whose  banks 
they  were  travelling,  but  it  was  brought  to  an  end  by  the  arrival  of  the 
train  at  the  station  of  Innsbruck. 

'•What  is  the  meaning  of  Innsbruck  \"  Mrs.  Bassett  asked.  "It  has 
something  to  do  with  the  Inn.  but  I  don't  know  what." 

"Brack  means  bridge."  replied  Frank,  >-and  it  is  probable  that  the 
city  <rrew  from  a  village  at  a  bridge  over  the  river  many  centuries  ago. 


INNSBRUCK   AND   ITS  NAME. 


403 


'■  'Mm  ■ 


A.    •  ''*   H 

S$r4'     •  '   .  . 


A    VALLEY    IN    THE    TYROL. 


The  Romans  called  it  CEnipontum,  which  means  'Inn  bridge.'  The 
place  received  the  privileges  of  a  town  in  the  thirteenth  century,  and 
for  a  long  time  it  has  had  not  one  but  several  bridges  across  the  river 
that  gives  it  the  last  half  of  its  name." 


4u4 


THE  BUY  TRAVELLERS  IX  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

INNSBRUCK  AXD  IT?  SITUATION.— THE  MOUNTAINS  AND  THE  VALLEY  OF  THE 
INN.— GOLDENES  DACHL.— C<  HJNT  FREDERICK  OF  TYROL  ;  HIS  EMPTY  POCKETS.— 
MAXIMILIAN  I.,  AND  THE  REMARKABLE  MONUMENT  TO  HIS  MEMORY.— BRONZE 
STATUES.— A  SCRAP  OF  HISTORY.— ANDREAS  HOFER,  AND  WHAT  HE  DID— TYK- 
OLESE  PATRIOTS.— FERDINAND  II.— THE  CASTLE  OF  AMRAS.— TYROLESE  PAINT- 
INGS.  —  DEFREGGER  AND  HIS  WORK  —WRESTLING  AND  FINGER-HACKING.— 
NATIVE  COSTUMES.— BRIDE  FROM  THE  GRODNER  THAI. —URODXER  THAI.  AND 
ITS  INDUSTRIES  — DIFFICULTIES  OF  FARMING.  —  WOOD-CARVING.  —  ZITHER- 
PLAYING.— THE  BRENNER  PASS  AXD  RAILWAY. 


"XXSBRUCK  is  delightfully  situated,"  wrote  Mary  in  her  journal, 
-    ■•  and   I'm  ever  so  srlad  we  came  here.     The  Inn  isn't  a  large 

stream,  but  it  is  a  pretty  one,  and  ev- 
ery time  we  have  crossed  a  bridge  on 
foot  I  have  lingered  a  few  moments 
to  look  at  the  flowing  water.  Fred 
said  that  my  fondness  for  the  river 
made  him  think  of  some  lines  from 
Shenstone,  and  he  repeated  them  on 
the  spot : 

"  '"Whoe'er  has  travelled  life's  dull  round, 
"Where'er  his  stages  may  have  heen, 
Must  sigh  to  think  he  still  has  found 
The  warmest  welcome  at  an  inn.' 


"'If  you  think  this  Inn  would 
give  you  a  warm  welcome.'  said  I, 
'just  jump  in  and  try  it.  The  river 
comes  down  from  the  glaciers  of 
Switzerland  and  the  Tyrol,  and  it  is 
anything  but  warm." 

••  Fred  said  he  was  satisfied  to  stay 
out  of  the  river  and  content  himself 
with  looking  at  the  water  as  it  swept 
along'  beneath  the  bridges.     The  rest 


GOLDENES    DiCHL. 


THE  VALLEY   OF  THE   INN. 


« 
405 


| 


aofc: 


«itr~ 


i 


MARIA    THERESA    STRASSE,    INNSBRUCK. 


of  us  agreed  with  him ;  and  as  for  the  inn  of  the  tavern  sort,  we  found 
the  one  where  we  were  lodged  entirely  satisfactory. 

"  The  valley  of  the  river  is  quite  broad  here,  but  not  broad  enough 
to  make  the  city  appear  to  stand  in  a  plain.  All  around  are  the  mount- 
ains, some  of  them  streaked  with  snow,  and  all  presenting  ravines  and 
ridges  that  tempt  the  hardy  climber,  but  cause  the  ordinary  traveller  to 
hesitate  a  great  deal  before  he  undertakes  to  mount  them.  A  guide 
offered  his  services  for  excursions  among  the  mountains ;  we  declined 
them  at  once,  but  this  did  not  deter  him  from  naming  a  bewildering 
number  of  peaks,  which  he  pointed  out  as  he  called  them  off.  You  will 
know  they  are  hard  to  climb  when  I  name  a  few  of  them — Seegruben- 
spitzen,  Rumerjoch,  Hafelekar,  and  Waldrasterspitze.  They  are  enough 
to  terrify  anybody  but  a  member  of  the  Alpine  Club  of  at  least  five 
years'  standing,  or  a  mountaineer  from  Colorado. 

"  The  city,  you  see  from  this,  stands  in  a  mountain  basin,  but  the 
basin  is  so  broad  that  the  inhabitants  are  not  cramped  for  want  of  space. 
It's  a  very  pretty  situation,  and  I  think  one  might  stay  here  for  weeks  in 
perfect  content.  They  tell  us  that  there  are  a  great  many  delightful 
walks  and  drives  in  the  neighborhood,  and  as  for  excursions  among  the 
mountains,  one  could  devote  months  to  them,  and  even  then  there  would 
be  some  places  unvisited. 


406        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

'•  Of  course  our  first  inquiry  was  for  the  sights  of  the  place — I  mean 
the  regular  sights  that  every  traveller  ought  to  include,  unless  he  is  too 
decrepit  to  be  able  to  move  about.  They  are  not  numerous,  and,  alto- 
gether, they  are  quite  good. 

"  The  first  thing  to  which  our  attention  was  called  is  the  Goldenes 
Dachl.  It  is  an  odd  sort  of  thing,  in  the  shape  of  a  roof  of  gilded  cop- 
per surmounting  a  gilded  balcony.  Originally  it  formed  the  front  of  a 
palace  belonging  to  Count  Frederick  of  Tyrol — and  thereby  hangs  a 
tale  of  long  gone  centuries  : 

"  Count  Frederick  spent  his  money  very  freely,  and  borrowed  a 
great  deal  which  he  did  not  repay.  In  consequence  of  his  easy  financial 
habits  he  obtained  the  nickname  of  '  Empty  Pockets,'  and  the  indica- 
tions are  that  he  was  not  pleased  with  it.  To  show  that  the  nickname 
was  a  calumny  he  built  this  balcony  at  au  expense  of  $70,000,  which 
was  a  great  deal  of  money  for  those  days.  I  asked  where  he  obtained 
the  money  to  build  it  with,  but  no  one  could  tell.  Frank  suggested  that 
he  probably  paid  nothing  to  his  workmen,  and  obtained  the  materials 
on  credit.  The  gilding  must  certainly  be  heavy,  as  the  roof  and  balcony 
were  erected  in  1425,  and  restored  by  the  Emperor  Maximilian  in  1500. 

"The  Emperor  Maximilian  was  not  the  unfortunate  brother  of  the 
Emperor  of  Austria,  who  went  to  Mexico  during  our  Civil  "War  and  set 
up  an  empire  there,  but  the  first  of  that  name  who  ruled  over  Germany. 
He  was  born  in  1459,  so  that  he  has  been  dead  a  long  time.  That  he 
was  well  connected  is  shown  by  the  circumstance  that  he  married  Mary 
of  Burgundy,  daughter  of  Charles  the  Bold,  for  his  first  wife,  and  Bianca, 
daughter  of  the  Duke  of  Milan,  for  his  second.  He  had  a  goodly  num- 
ber of  wars  on  his  hands  at  one  time  and  another ;  but  while  he  was  a 
man  of  military  ambitions  he  was  also  a  patron  of  art  and  literature, 
and  was  the  author  of  several  works  in  prose  and  poetry.  Frank  says 
the  Emperor  had  no  difficulty  in  finding  a  publisher,  even  if  his  poetry 
was  not  of  the  best  class,  just  for  the  reason  that  he  was  an  emperor. 

•■  I  have  said  this  much  about  Maximilian  I.  because  we  went  from 
the  Goldenes  Dachl  to  the  Hofkirche,  or  church,  where  there  is  a 
monument  to  his  memory,  and  it  is  one  of  the  most  remarkable  mon- 
uments we  have  anywhere  seen.  It  stands  right  in  the  middle  of  the 
church,  and  not  in  a  chapel  at  one  side,  as  is  almost  universally  the  case 
with  monuments  in  other  churches.  The  church  was  built  by  order  of 
the  great  Max,  and  was  completed  about  1553  ;  he  ordered  the  mon- 
ument at  the  same  time  as  the  church,  and  gave  directions  about  its 
construction,  and  these  directions  show  that  he  was  a  man  of  origi- 


A  REMARKABLE  MONUMENT. 


407 


nality.  When  we  entered  the  church  we  all  paused  as  we  caught  sight 
of  the  monument,  and  it  is  certainly  well  calculated  to  startle  the  stran- 
ger who  does  not  know  the  sight  that  is  ready  to  break  upon  him. 

"  Maximilian  is  represented  in  bronze,  kneeling  on  a  large  sarcoph- 
agus, and  the  figure  is  more  than  life-size.  Around  him  are  twenty-eight 
figures,  also  in  bronze,  and  of  heroic  size ;  they  are  represented  as  mourn- 
ers and  torch-bearers,  and  are  certainly  an  illustrious  group.  The  family 
and  immediate  relatives  of  the  Emperor  are  there,  and  in  addition  to 
them  are  Clovis,  King  of  France ;  Philip  I.  of  Spain ;  Emperor  Rudolph 
of  Hapsburg ;  King  Arthur  of  England  ;  Theodoric,  King  of  the  Ostro- 
goths ;  Charles  the  Bold  ;  Ferdinand  of  Aragon ;  Godefroi  de  Bouillon ; 
and  Emperor  Albert  II.  Some  of  the  figures  are  admirable  and  some 
poorly  executed.  One  of  the  best  of  the  figures  is  King  Arthur  of  Eng- 
land, and  I  liked  it  so  much  that  I  bought  several  photographs  of  it 
to  send  to  friends  at  home. 

"  But  the  artistic  work  does  not 
end  with  the  bronze  statues  by  any 
means.  The  sides  and  ends  of  the 
sarcophagus  are  covered  with  pan- 
els of  marble.  There  are  twenty-four 
of  these  panels,  and  they  represent  as 
many  scenes  in  the  life  of  the  Em- 
peror Maximilian.  They  begin  with 
his  marriage  with  Mary  of  Burgun- 
dy, in  1447,  and  end  with  the  defence 
of  Verona  in  1516.  That  his  life  was 
in  a  time  of  war  is  shown  by  the  bat- 
tle-pieces, which  are  the  leading  feat- 
ures of  this  collection  of  panels.  Most 
of  them  are  the  work  of  Alexander 
Colin,  of  Malines,  and  they  are  pro- 
nounced by  art  critics  the  best  of 
their  kind.  Many  of  the  heads  are 
portraits,  and  in  all  the  pictures  it  is 
easy  to  recognize  the  features  of  Max- 
imilian. Frank  called  our  attention 
to  the  skill  of  the  artist  in  represent- 
ing the  Emperor  at  different  periods 
of  life.  Thirty-eight  years  intervened 
between  his  marriage  and  the  defence 


iSk. 


KING     ARTHUR. 


408  THE  BUY   TRAVELLERS   IN   CENTRAL   EUROPE. 

of  Verona,  and  the  portrait  of  the  hero  of  the  work  appears  to  have 
'  aged '  accordingly,  year  by  year. 

"  We  see  that  the  great  Max  was  human,  because  none  of  the  panels 
represent  any  of  the  battles  in  which  he  was  defeated.  As  lie  planned 
the  monument,  it  is  to  be  supposed  that  he  made  up  the  list  of  the  events 
that  he  wished  to  have  represented  and  omitted  the  rest. 

"  Frank  suggested  that  it  was  probably  owing  to  the  example  set  by 
the  Emperor  Maximilian  that  the  Germans  have  no  representation  of  the 
battle  of  Jena  among  their  national  collection  of  war  paintings,  any  more 
than  the  French  have  of  the  battle  of  Waterloo.  And  he  wonders  if  there 
is  any  national  gallery  in  England  containing  a  picture  of  the  surrender 
of  Cornwallis  at  Yorktown  or  of  Burgoyne  at  Saratoga.  But  we  are 
wandering  away  from  the  Tyrol  and  its  chief  city. 

"  Bear  in  mind  I  have  called  this  a  monument  and  not  a  tomb.  That 
is  because  the  bones  of  the  Emperor  are  not  in  the  marble  sarcophagus, 
as  we  supposed  when  we  first  saw  it,  but  at  Neustadt,  thirty  miles  from 
Vienna,  where  he  was  born.  This  monument  was  ordered  ten  years 
before  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1519,  but  it  was  not  completed  until 
15S3,  and  some  say  the  completion  was  several  years  later  than  that 
date.  However  much  Maximilian  may  be  forgotten  or  quite  unknown 
anywhere  else,  he  is  a  very  vivid  personality  to  the  people  of  Innsbruck. 
An  attempt  to  remove  the  monument  would  be  likely  to  rouse  an  insur- 
rection, and,  at  all  events,  would  cause  great  discontent. 

"  There  are  other  monuments  in  the  church.  There  is  one  to  the 
memory  of  Archduke  Frederick  II.,  and  at  the  entrance  of  the  left  aisle 
is  the  monument  or  tomb  of  Andreas  Hofer.  Perhaps  you  don't  know 
who  he  was,  and  what  made  him  famous. 

'•  He  was  a  Tyrolese  patriot  of  the  end  of  the  last  century  and  the 
beginning  of  the  present  one.  In  early  life  he  was  a  horse  and  wine 
dealer,  and  kept  a  small  tavern  in  his  native  place.  In  1796  he  organized 
a  corps  of  Tyrolese  riflemen,  and  fought  against  the  French  on  the  shore 
of  Lake  Garda,  on  the  southern  boundaries  of  the  Tyrol.  From  that 
time  down  to  his  death  in  1S10  he  fought  against  French,  Bavarians, 
or  any  other  enemies  of  his  country,  but  without  the  satisfaction  of 
ultimate  victory.  After  his  defeat  in  1809  he  disbanded  his  followers, 
and  retired  alone  to  the  mountains.  The  French  found  him.  and  took 
him  prisoner  to  Mantua,  where  he  was  shot  by  order  of  Napoleon  I.  • 

'•  The  story  is  that  the  judges  at  Hofer's  trial  were  opposed  to  his 
execution,  but  their  decision  was  overruled  by  Xapoleon.  who  thought 
it  best  to  make  an  end  of  such  a  determined  patriot.     Thirteen  years 


A  TYROLESE  PATRIOT. 


409 


later  the  people  of 
Innsbruck  caused 
his  remains  to  be 
brought  there  and 
buried  with  a  great 
deal  of  ceremony, 
and    they    after- 
wards erected  this 
handsome  monu- 
ment to  his  mem- 
ory.     Hofer  is  to 
the  Tyrolese  what 
Garibaldi  has  been 
to  the  Italians,  and 
there    is   no  patri- 
otic name  which 
they  hold  in  great- 
er reverence   than 
his.     All    through 
the   country   the 
houses  in  which  he 
slept  during   his 
campaigns  are  held 
in  the  same  respect 
as  those  in  which 
ATashington  spent 
the   nights   during 
the   time   of   the 

Revolution.  The  house  where  he  lived  is  a  sort  of  pdgrimage  place 
for  the  Tyrolese,  very  much  as  the  birthplace  of  Shakespeare  has  lone 
been  for  the  Enghsh.  or  that  of  Burns  for  the  Scotch. 

'•  In  the  museum  we  saw  the  portrait  of  Hofer,  which  gave  us  a 
better  idea  of  his  features  than  did  the  marble  relief  on  his  tomb,  though 
the  latter  is  certainly  very  good.  The  face  is  an  honest  one.  though 
somewhat  heavy.  As  yon  walk  through  Innsbruck  you  will  see  many 
faces  which  are  enough  like  his  to  show  that  it  was  the  true  type  of 
the  Tyrolese.  The  portrait  shows  him  in  the  costume  of  his  country. 
I  bought  a  photograph  of  it.  but  unfortunately  the  photograph  d  «s 
not  show  the  rich  embroidery  nor  the  variety  of  colors  in  the  dress. 
"Near  Hofer's   tomb  are   the  tombs  of  his  faithful  companions, 


ANDREAS    HOFER. 


no 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IX  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


Speckbaoher  and  Haspinger.  The  former  was  a  chamois -hunter  and 
fanner,  ami  the  latter  a  Capuchin  monk.  Opposite  their  tombs  is  a 
monument  to  all  the  Tyrolese  who  fell  lighting  for  their  country  in  the 
stormy  period  in  which  llofer  lived.  Candor  compels  me  to  say  that 
we  did  not  spend  as  much  time  over  these  monuments  and  tombs  as  we 
did  over  the  monument  to  Maximilian,  not  that  we  were  any  the  less 
respectful  to  the  memory  of  the  patriots,  but  because  of  the  unique 
character  of  that  array  of  bronze  figures  surrounding  another  bronze 
figure  in  the  centre  of  the  marble  structure. 

'•  The  guide  called  our  attention  to  the  tomb  of  Ferdinand  11.,  Count 
of  Tyrol,  anil  that  of  his  wife,  but  we  did  not  stay  to  see  them.  After- 
wards we  wished  Ave  had  given  them  at  least  a  glance.  It  was  when 
we  visited  the  Castle  of  Amras,  which  stands  on  a  hill  about  an  hour's 
drive  out  of  Innsbruck — a  castle  which  was  once  the  property  of  the 
count,  and  belongs  now  to  the  Emperor  of  Austria.  It  contains  a  great 
many  relics  of  the  count  and  his  beautiful  wife,  who  was  Philippine 
AVeiser,  the  daughter  of  a  rich  merchant  of  Augsburg.  She  is  re- 
nowned   for  her  charity  and  gentleness  no  less  than  for  her  beauty. 

which  must  have  been  unusual  if 
her  portrait  is  not  guilty  of  flat- 
tery. The  people  talk  about  her  as 
though  she  died  but  yesterday  in- 
stead of  three  centuries  ago,  and 
they  evidently  hold  her  memory  in 
great  esteem.  I  was  fascinated  by 
the  picture,  and  stood  for  some  time 
in  front  of  it.  until  Frank  called  me 
away  to  see  something  else. 

"  Schloss  Amras,  as  they  call  the 
castle,  has  a  fine  collection  of  weap- 
ons from  the  fifteenth  century  down 
to  the  present  day.  They  interest- 
ed Frank  and  Fred  more  than  mam- 
ma or  myself ;  out  of  respect  to  us 
they  did  not  remain  long  among 
the  implements  of  warfare,  but  went 
to  the  picture-gallery,  where  we 
enjoyed  the  paintings  very  much. 
Some  of  them  are  by  native  artists,  and  are  excellent ;  or.  rather,  I 
should  say  there  is  a  varying  degree  of  excellence  in  the  pictures  that 


FRANZ    DEFBEGGER. 


SPORTS   OF   THE   TYROL. 


411 


we  saw.  Several 
paintings  by  De- 
fregger  attracted 
our  attention,  not 
only  because  of  the 
celebrity  of  the 
painter,  but  from 
the  circumstance 
that  they  repre- 
sented the  people 
of  the  country  and 
their  sports. 

"We  are  told 
that  the  Tyrolese 
are  fond  of  athletic 
sports,  and  this  is 
to  be  expected  in 
a  country  where 
so  much  depends 
upon  physical  en- 
durance. They 
have  their  athletic 
societies,  in  which 
they  perform  in  a 
way  which  is  rare- 
ly seen  in  America 
outside  of  the  cir- 
cus, unless  it  be  among  the  Germans  in  our  large  cities.  They  are  fond 
of  wrestling,  and  whenever  a  group  of  young  men  is  gathered  in  any  of 
the  villages  there  is  a  reasonable  certainty  of  a  wrestling-match  between 
two  local  champions,  and  perhaps  several  matches. 

"  One  of  Defregger's  pictures  represents  a  wrestling-match  such  as 
I  have  mentioned.  The  champions  are  standing  ready  to  close,  and 
each  is  dodging  to  secure  the  best  advantage  in  the  '  clinch."  Their  po- 
sitions reminded  me  of  two  barn-yard  fowls  in  a  combat,  and  I  said  so 
to  Frank.  He  told  me  I  might  have  my  own  opinion,  but  must  not 
speak  too  loud  for  fear  some  of  the  residents  might  overhear  me ;  they 
might  not  be  pleased  to  hear  themselves  likened  to  chickens,  and  cer- 
tainly there  is  nothing  'chicken-hearted'  in  their  composition.  I  again 
declared  that  it  was  the  positions  only  to  which  I  referred,  and  then  he 


PHILIPPINE    WE1SER,  COUKTESS    01'   TYROL. 


412 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  El'KOI'E 


called  my  attention  to  another  picture  which  represented  a  '  finger- 
hacking'  match.     I  asked  him  what  'finger-hacking'  was. 

'"It  is  a  trial  of  strength.'  said  Frank,  'in  which  many  a  middle 
finger  has  been  put  out  of  joint.  Two  men  hook  together  the  middle 
fingers  of  their  right  hands  across  the  table,  and  then  begin  a  struggle. 
which  ends  with  the  surrender  of  one  and  the  consequent  triumph  of 
the  other.  Arms  are  twisted,  and  you  can  easily  see  that  there  is  a 
great  deal  <>t'  pain  to  both  parties  in  the  performance.  The  victor  is  al- 
ways applauded,  and  sometimes  the  vanquished  man  loses  his  temper 
and  is  ready  for  a  fight.  Down  to  not  very  long  ago  most  of  the  men 
carried  knives,  and  not  infrequently  a  wrestling-match  or  finger-hack- 
ing (should  it  not  be  finger- hooking i)  terminated  in  bloodshed.  At 
present  the  law  forbids  the  carrying  of  weapons  of  any  kind,  but  doubt- 
less a  goodly  number  are  worn  in  concealment.' 

"  You  may  naturally  ask  to  know  more  about  Franz  Defregger. 
Well,  the  artist  was  born  at  Stronach  in  the  Tyrol  some  time  in  the 


"  WRESTLING." — [From  :i  painting  by  Defregger  ] 


year  1830.  He  was  a  pupil  of  Piloty,  and  has  a  high  rank  as  a  painter, 
especially  of  the  peasant  life  of  his  native  land.  All  of  his  pictures  that 
we  have  seen  are  of  this  sort,  and  they  have  instructed  us  very  much  at 
the  same  time  that  they  interested  us  as  works  of  art." 


COSTUMES  OF   THE    COUNTRY. 


413 
We  will 


This  concluded  Mary's  record  of  the  visit  to  Innsbruck, 
now  listen  to  "Fred,  who  has  something  to  say  on  the  subject. 

"A  stroll  on  the  Maria  Theresa  Strasse,"  said  Fred, "was  very  much 
like  a  stroll  on  the  principal  street  of  Berne  or  Geneva.     The  costumes 


" fingek-hacking.'1 — [From  u  painting  by  Defregger.] 

of  most  of  the  people  that  we  saw  were  not  by  any  means  distinct- 
ive of  their  nationality,  as  they  wore  the  garments  that  were  bought 
in  the  clothing-stores,  and  quite  possibly  were  fashioned  in  London  or 
Paris.  But  when  we  encountered  peasants  from  the  surrounding  coun- 
try the  case  was  different,  as  the  most  of  them  wore  something  that 
showed  them  to  be  natives  of  the  Tyrol  and  nothing  else.  There 
are  local  differences  all  through  the  country.  The  dress  of  one  thai,  or 
valley,  differs  somewhat  from  that  of  its  neighbor,  but  these  differences 
are  not  readilv  distinguished  by  the  visitor.  In  order  that  we  might 
become  better  acquainted  with  some  of  them,  we  visited  a  book-store, 
where  there  was  a  large  stock  of  photographs,  showing  the  costumes  of 
the  various  valleys.  We  bought  many  of  these  sample  photographs, 
and  since  buying  them  have  had  a  great  deal  of  amusement  in  studying 
the  peculiarities  of  the  Tyrolese  dress. 


414 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE,. 


'•Just  look  over  some  of  these  photographs  with  us. 
"Here  is  the  costume  of  a  bride  from  the  Grddner  Thai.  You  oil- 
serve,  to  begin  with,  that  the  bride  is  not  the  slender  maiden  we  are  ac- 
customed to  associate  with  weddings  in  general,  but  a  woman  of  solid 
figure,  with  a  tendency  to  stoutness.  She  carries  her  prayer-book  and 
rosary,  for  she  is  a  good  Catholic.  There  is  no  train  to  her  dress,  nor 
does  she  wear  the  bridal  veil,  which  is  the  accompaniment  of  a  wedding 
in  a  higher  state  of  civilization.  Her  collar  is  of  spotless  white,  and 
possibly  embroidered  by  herself,  and  her  head  is  shaded  by  a  hat  of 
ample  proportions.  Altogether  the  dress  is  by  no  means  unattractive. 
But  what  would  Boston  or  Xew  York  say  if  a  fashionable  bride  should 
appear  at  church  to  be  married  in  this  costume  '. 

"  I  must  tell  you  something  about  the  Grodner  Thai,  and  my  au- 
thority is  Col.  George 
E.  AVaring  and  his  Tyr- 
ol and  the  Skirt  of  tin 
Alps,  as  we  have  not 
had  the  opportunity  to 
visit  the  place  for  our- 
selves. 

'•  Colonel  AVaring 
says  it  is  a  deep  score 
in  the  steep  side  of  the 
mountain  18  miles  long, 
and  3600  feet  higher  at 
its  upper  than  at  its 
lower  end.  It  has  a 
population  of  about 
3500.  and  this  figure  has 
varied  but  little  for  cen- 
turies. Before  1856  all 
the  communication  with 
the  rest  of  the  world 
was  by  a  bridle  and 
foot  path,  but  since  that 
year  it  has  been  possible 
to  go  into  the  valley  by 
a  goo  d  carriage-road, 
which  has  greatly  in- 
A  grodner  ihal  bkide.  creased  travel    in   that 


TYROLESE  WOOD-CARVINGS. 


415 


direction.  And  how  do 
you  suppose  the  people 
manage  to  live?  He- 
member  they  are  in  a 
narrow  valley,  where 
there  is  only  a  limited 
amount  of  agriculture. 

'•  The  next  time  you 
are  in  a  toy-shop  look 
around  for  wood  -  carv- 
ings from  the  Tyrol  — 
horses,  dogs,  cats,  houses, 
anything  and  every- 
thing that  comes  from 
the  hands  of  the  work- 
er in  wood.  Well,  the 
chances  are  that  these 
things  came  from  the 
Grodner  Thai.  Wood- 
carving  is  the  industry 
of  the  people  of  both 
sexes  and  all  ages,  and 
it  is  this  industry  which 
supports  them  more  than 
anything  else. 

"  Though  the  valley  has  been  inhabited  for  twenty  centuries  and 
more,  it  was  only  within  the  last  hundred  and  fifty  years  that  the  in- 
dustry was  introduced.  Their  wood-carvings  are  sent  to  all  parts  of 
the  civilized  world — to  England,  France,  Austria,  Russia,  Australia,  and 
Xorth  and  South  America,  and  to  countries  and  regions  I  have  not 
named.  Colonel  Waring  says  that  when  the  children  come  home  from 
school  each  of  them  sits  down  to  perforin  his  or  her  share  of  the  work 
of  the  family.  As  for  the  elders  of  the  household,  they  are  busy  through 
all  the  working-hours  of  the  day,  and  each  of  them  does  but  a  single 
piece  of  carving.  One  carves  cats,  another  dogs,  another  horses,  an- 
other makes  wooden  soldiers,  or  turtles,  or  simple  statuettes,  and  an- 
other makes  houses  of  a  given  pattern.  If  you  ask  a  dog -carver  to 
make  you  a  toy  horse  he  would  look  at  you  with  astonishment.  When 
his  speech  returned  he  would  refer  you  to  Hans  or  Fritz,  whose  special 
work  is  the  making  of  horses. 


A  WOOD-CARTER, 


£16       THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

"The  wood-curving  of  the  Grodner  Thai  is  not  confined  to  toys.  A 
great  many  of  the  workers  are  employed  upon  saints  and  Madonnas, 
which  are  sold  in  Catholic  countries  and  arc  always  in  demand.  The 
saintly  images  and  groups  are  carved  without  models,  and  some  of 
them  show  a  great  deal  of  artistic  merit.  They  take  a  piece  of  wood 
of  the  proper  size  and  shape,  and  the  dexterity  and  rapidity  with  which 
they  hew  it  away  and  bring  out  the  desired  form  are  really  astonishing. 

'•  If  you  ask  one  of  the  carvers  why  he  does  not  make  something 
else  than  the  horse,  dog,  or  other  production  that  is  his  special  line  of 
work,  he  will  answer  that  his  father  and  grandfather  made  them.  He 
does  not  explain  that  he  can  do  nothing  else  because  he  is  following 
their  example.  He  states  the  fact,  and  you  are  left  to  draw  your  own 
conclusions  in  any  way  you  like. 

••  They  have  some  agriculture  in  the  Grodner  Thai — in  fact,  they 
have  all  that  the  valley  is  capable  of;  but  it  is  nut  enough  for  the  occu- 
pation of  everybody.  All  through  the  Tyrol  every  foot  of  land  that 
can  be  made  to  produce  anything  is  utilized,  and  an  American  farmer 
would  consider  his  time  wasted  if  he  should  do  many  things  which  are 
taken  by  the  Tyrolese  as  a  matter  of  course.  A  patch  of  grass  not 
more  than  a  yard  square  is  carefully  cut,  and  the  proceeds  turned  into 
hay.  This  hay  must  be  carried  on  the  back  of  man  or  woman  to  where 
it  can  be  loaded  on  a  wagon,  or  on  the  back  of  donkey  or  horse  for  trans- 
portation to  the  barn,  and  thousands  of  tons  of  hay  are  gathered  every 
year  in  the  Tyrol  in  just  this  way. 

"  As  an  illustration  of  what  I  am  saying,  let  me  quote  from  Mr. 
Grohman's  book.  Tyrol  and  the  Tyrolese.  The  author  has  spent  a 
great  deal  of  time  in  the  Tyrol,  and  knows  the  country  and  people  thor- 
oughly.    Here  are  a  few  extracts  from  his  work  : 

"  '  In  the  YVild-Schonau,  Xorth  Tyrol,  not  a  few  of  the  houses  "are 
built  on  such  steep  slopes  that  a  heavy  chain  has  to  be  laid  around  the 
houses  and  fastened  to  some  firm  object — a  large  tree  or  bowlder  of 
rock  higher  up.  ...  In  one  village  off  the  Puster  Thai,  and  in  two 
others  off  the  Oberinn  Thai,  many  of  the  villagers  come  to  church  with 
crampons  on  their  feet,  the  terrible  steep  slopes  on  which  their  huts  are 
built,  somewhat  like  a  swallow's  nest  on  a  wall,  requiring  this  precau- 
tionary measure.  ...  In  Moos,  a  village  not  very  far  from  the  Brenner, 
having  a  population  of  eight  hundred  inhabitants,  more  than  three  hun- 
dred men  and  women  have  been  killed  since  175S  by  falls  from  the  in- 
credibly steep  slopes  upon  which  the  pasturage  of  this  village  is  sit- 
uated.    So  steep  are  they,  in  fact,  that  only  goats,  and  even  they  nut 


HAYMAKING  UNDER   DIFFICULTIES. 


417 


everywhere,  can  be  trusted  to  graze  on  them,  and  the  hay  for  the  larger 
cattle  has  to  be  cut  and  gathered  by  the  hand  of  man.' 

"Another  writer,  Colonel  "Waring,  confirms  fully  the  statement  of 
Mr.  Grohman,  and  describes  the  little  stores  of  grass  that  he  has  seen 
piled  against  the  upper  side  of  protecting  trees  or  rocks,  where  it  had 
been  brought  by  the 
armful  when  gathered 
by  the  spike-shod  mow- 
ers. The  haymakers 
gather  the  hay  in  places 
that  would  be  inacces- 
sible to  the  stranger, 
and  every  visitor  won- 
ders how  enough  of  it 
can  be  secured  to  keep 
the  ha\T-eating  animals 
through  the  winter. 
That  they  do  secure  it 
and  take  good  care  of 
their  cattle  is  an  indi- 
cation of  their  industry 
and  perseverance. 

"  Mary  r emarke d 
that  she  did  not  think 
an  agent   for   a   mow- 
ing-machine would  find 
a  profitable  business  in 
the  Tyrol.     The  rest  of 
us  agreed  with  her,  and 
with    good    reason,    as 
there  is  not  one   farm 
in  fifty  in  all  the  coun- 
try where    a    mowing- 
machine  could  be  used  to  any  advantage,  if  indeed  it  could  be  used 
at  all.     A  very  large  number  of  farms  and  a  great  many  villages  can 
only  be   reached  by  foot-paths,  as  wagon- roads  have  not  been  made, 
and  could  only  be  constructed  at  great  cost. 

"We  wanted  to  hear  some  Tyrolese  music,  and  arranged  through 
our  guide  to  have  some  performances  on  the  zither  by  one  who  was 
said  to  be  an  accomplished  player.     Do  you  know  what  the  zither  is  ? 

27 


A    MOUNTAIN    PORTER. 


•ilS 


THE   BUY   TRAVELLERS    IN    CENTRAL   EUROPE 


-  It  is  an  instrument  which  may  be  called  a  combination  of  the  harp 
and  guitar,  as  it  has  the  peculiarities  of  both.  It  is  placed  Hat  upon  a 
table,  which  thus  serves  as  a  sounding-board,  and  the  strings  are  touched 
by  the  ringers  of  the  performer  very  much  as  are  those  of  the  instru- 


TVROI.F.SE    ZITHER-PLAYERS 


THE  BRENNER  RAILWAY.  419 

ments  I  have  mentioned.  The  zither  was  not  new  to  us,  as  we  had 
heard  it  several  times,  but  never  before  did  we  realize  of  how  much  it  is 
capable.  While  the  zither-player  was  resting — or,  as  Mary  expressed  it, 
'  between  the  acts' — wTe  listened  to  some  performances  on  the  guitar,  and 
also  to  a  few  of  the  T\rrolese  songs.  They  were  very  sweet  and  melo- 
dious, and  we  do  not  wonder  at  the  fondness  of  the  people  of  this  re- 
mote region  for  the  music  of  their  native  land." 

When  our  friends  had  finished  with  the  sights  of  Innsbruck  and  its 
vicinity,  and  were  ready  to  proceed  to  Munich,  where  they  were  to  meet 
Doctor  Bronson,  as  already  stated,  Frank  made  a  proposition  to  his 
mother  and  sister  for  a  little  excursion,  as  follows  : 

"Fred  and  I  would  like  to  see  the  Brenner  Railway,  which  crosses 
the  Alps  by  the  Brenner  Pass.  We  can  leave  here  by  the  train  at  1.40 
this  afternoon,  and  reach  Botzen  at  6.51.  There  we  can  spend  the  night, 
leave  Botzen  at  nine  o'clock  to-morrow  morning,  and  be  due  in  Inns- 
bruck at  2.35  in  the  afternoon.  The  same  train,  or  the  one  which  con- 
nects with  it,  will  be  due  in  Munich  at  6.20  in  the  evening. 

"  Now,  if  you  care  to  make  the  journey,  I  think  you  will  find  it  in- 
teresting. If  you  do  not  care  to  go  3tou  can  remain  here,  and  meet  us 
at  the  station  when  the  train  arrives  from  Botzen  to-morrow  and 
takes  us  to  Munich.     What  do  you  say  ?" 

"  What  is  there  to  see  on  the  Brenner  Railway,  and  does  it  go 
through  the  Alps  like  the  Saint  Gothard  route,  or  over  them?"  Mrs. 
Bassett  asked,  after  Frank  concluded. 

"  It  goes  over  the  mountains  and  not  through  them,  except  in  a  good- 
ly number  of  places,  where  there  are  short  tunnels.  The  highest  part 
of  the  road  is  in  the  open  air,  and  the  tunnels  are  where  it  was  cheaper 
to  make  them  than  to  build  high  embankments  or  cut  deep  trenches.'' 

"  I  read  about  the  railway,"  said  Mary,  turning  to  her  mother,  ''and 
can  tell  you  something  concerning  it." 

Mrs.  Bassett  assumed  a  listening  attitude,  and  Mary  proceeded. 

'*  The  Brenner  Pass  is  the  lowest  of  the  passes  of  the  main  chain  of 
the  Alps,"  said  the  girl,  "  and,  according  to  what  I  read  of  it,  is  only 
4470  feet  high.  It  was  used  by  the  Bomans,  both  for  commerce  and 
for  the  movements  of  their  armies,  and  has  been  in  use  constantly  since 
their  time.  About  a  hundred  years  ago  a  carriage-road  was  made  over 
it.  After  it  was  finished  there  was  a  great  deal  of  travel  on  this  road  all 
the  time  until  the  completion  of  the  railway  in  1S67.  I  have  forgotten 
the  number  of  tunnels  and  bridges,  and  also  the  steepness  of  the  grade. 
Perhaps  Frank  or  Fred  can  help  me  out." 


4:20 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


■-^^  ;«««■■«  v 


^% 


$8k 


'•<&:; 


gljjF 


if   I-     - 


"  With  pleas- 
uix-."    exclaimed 

gp|     Fred.     "There 

Qp£^2|    are  thirty  tunnels 

and    sixty    large 

)ridges,  with  a  great  number  of 

The  steepest  grade 

is  one  foot  in  forty,  and  is  on  the 

northern   side    of  the  pass.     On 

the    southern    side    the    steepest 

grade  is  one  foot  in  forty-four." 

■  Thank  you."  said  Mary,  as 
Fred  paused.    "  I  wonder  if  I  will 
ever  be  able  to  comprehend  these 
euo'ineering  terms  as  well  as  you 
do.     Perhaps  I  sha'n't,  but  nevertheless  I'm  going  to  try." 

-  That's  right."  responded  her  mother.     "  Girls  are  not  expected,  to 


SAINT    I'LRICH,    GKOD.NER    THAL. 


A  LITTLE  EXCURSION. 


421 


be  surveyors  and  rail  way -builders;  but  there's  no  reason  why  they 
shouldn't  understand  engineering  terms,  and  be  able  to  talk  intelligently 
about  them  when  the  occasion  requires.  In  my  school -days  all  this 
knowledge  was  practically  unknown,  except  to  those  who  were  espe- 
cially studying  it;  and  I  don't  remember  that  I  ever  had  a  book  on  sur- 
veying or  engineering  in  my  hands  until  I  had  left  the  school  far  be- 
hind me,  and  then  only  by  accident." 

Then  there  was  a  brief  pause,  which  was  broken  by  Mrs.  Bassett, 
who  said  that  she  and  Mary  would  accompany  the  youths  in  their  jour- 
ney to  Botzen  and  back,  and  would  be  ready  at  once. 

Immediately  the  party  broke  up,  as  there  was  no  time  to  lose.  The 
bill  at  the  hotel  was  settled,  a  carriage  was  ordered,  and  our  friends 
were  at  the  station  as  promptly  as  was  their  custom.  The  trunks  were 
left  in  charge  of  the  baggage  department  of  the  railway,  to  be  called 
for  on  their  return.  Frank  intimated  to  the  sub-chief  of  the  station 
that  he  would  not  be  forgotten  financially  if  the  baggage  was  all  ready 
on  the  following  afternoon  to  be  placed  on  the  train  at  its  arrival,  and 
it  is  proper  to  add  that  there  was  not  the  least  hitch  in  the  arrange- 
ments.    Money  is  appreciated  in  the  Tyrol. 

To  Botzen  and  back  it  was  a  journey  in  "  light  marching  order," 
only  the  hand-satchels  of  the  travellers,  together  with  their  umbrellas 
and  wraps,  being  taken  along.  Frank  said  the  overcoats  and  cloaks 
were  necessary,  as  it  might  be  cold  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  summit 
of  the  pass.  Even  had  it  been  otherwise,  the  wraps  would  have  been 
taken,  as  it  is  a  rule  of  prudent  travellers  always  to  have  an  extra  gar- 
ment  at  hand  on  railway  or  other  journey  of  several  hours. 


-i                  ??4000  = 

7_ 

4|s 

.t- :'.  -1.  .i  ..f  J5_  -^.iW0„_. 

--§-*-- 

=5    _g  ^    ^        *•; 

5      a       ,Sca  level  .  ! 

20.UJU       40.0'Ji)      frJ.OJO       8 

Scale  for  Height 


PROFILE    OF    THK    BRENNER    RAILWAY. 


i-22  THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IX  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

The  Urenner  Railway  is  about  eighty  miles  in  length,  and  was  built 
in  little  more  than  four  years.  Twenty  miles  of  railway  in  a  year  may 
seem  slow  work  to  those  who  have  read  about  the  building  of  railways 
in  America  at  the  rate  of  two  or  three  miles  a  day;  hut  an  engineer  who 
inspects  this  route  will  quite  likely  wonder  how  tin,'  work  was  accom- 
plished in  so  short  a  period  rather  than  why  it  took  so  long.  The  line 
is  a  triumph  of  railway-building,  and  reflects  great  credit  upon  the  men 
who  constructed  it. 


THE  LANG  KOEEL,  TYROLEAN"  ALl's. 


OVER  THE  BRENNER  PASS. 


423 


CHAPTER   XXIV. 

FROM  INNSBRUCK  TO  BOTZEN.— THE  INN  AND  THE  SILL.— THE  VALLEY  THAT  LEADS 
TO  THE  SUMMIT.— "THE  TWO  STREAMS."— ALPINE  RAILWAY  CONSTRUCTION.— 
TUNNELS  ALONG  THE  ROUTE.— NOVEL  SUGGESTION  FOR  UTILIZING  TUNNELS.— 
FRANK'S  LITTLE  STORY.— MRS.  BASSETT'S  DOUBTS.— BOTZEN  AND  ITS  PECULI- 
ARITIES.—A  REGION  OF  CASTLES.— SCHLOSS  TYROL.— MERAN.— FROM  BOTZEN 
TO  MUNICH.— A  CHAT  ABOUT  AUSTRIA.— THE  GOVERNMENT  AND  PEOPLE.— 
COMPOSITION  OF  THE  AUSTRO-HUXGARIAN  MONARCHY.— EMPEROR  AND  KING. 
—HOW  THE  UNION  WAS  BROUGHT  ABOUT.— PARLIAMENTS,  ARMY  AND  NAVY, 
AND  OTHER  MATTERS.— A  LITTLE  WAR  OF  WORDS. 


"  W7"E   had   a   delightful  jour- 

»  »  ney,"'  said  Mary,  in  her 
description  of  the  ride  to  Botzen, 
"  and  I'm  very  glad  mamma  de- 
cided to  go,  instead  of  staying  in 
Innsbruck  for  another  day." 

That  Mrs.  Bassett  enjoyed  the 
journey  to  Botzen  very  much  may 
be  inferred  from  the  following  ex- 
tract from  her  next  letter  to 
friends  at  home : 

"  When  we  started  we  were  on 
the  banks  of  the  Inn.  which  is  a 
good  -  sized  river.  The  Sill  joins 
the  Inn  at  Innsbruck,  and  the  rail- 
way follows  up  the  valley  of  the 
Sill,  which  is  by  no  means  a  small 
stream,  though  not  as  large  as  the 
Inn  at  the  junction. 

"  Well,  we  went  up  and  up 
along  the  Valley,  and  every  mile 
or  so  there  was  a  stream  coming 
in  on  one  side  or  the  other,  a  trib- 
utary of  the  Sill.     Of  course  the 


VINEYARD    WATCH,    SOUTH    TYROL. 


424       THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IX  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

, river  grew  smaller  as  we  ascended  and  passed  the  mouths  of  its  tribu- 
taries. It  was  a  river  when  we  started  along  its  banks,  but  after  a 
while  it  could  not  be  called  a  river  in  the  sense  in  which  we  use  it, 
but  only  a  creek,  or  branch,  or  large  brook.  From  a  large  brook  it  be- 
came a  small  one,  and  from  a  small  brook  it  became  a  rivulet  ;  and  hy- 
and-by  its  proportions  were  tiny  in  the  extreme.  As  we  neared  the  sum- 
mit it  diminished  to  a  thread  of  water,  which  trickled  over  the  rock 
at  one  side  of  the  railway  track.  Then  for  a  hundred  yards  or  more 
there  was  no  stream  whatever  till  we  saw  on  the  other  side  of  the  track 
a  similar  How  of  water  over  another  rock. 

"  Xow  this  water  fell  into  a  channel  close  by  the  track,  and  ran  along 
in  the  direction  we  were  going.  A'ery  soon  another  rivulet  joined  it. 
then  another,  another,  and  another  ;  and  by-and-by  it  was  a  noisy  brook, 
whose  course  we  followed  as  we  descended  the  slope  of  the  mountain. 
The  brook  grew  to  a  river,  and  by  the  time  we  reached  Botzen  it  was  a 
good-sized  river,  like  the  Sill  at  Innsbruck. 

"The  way  the  river  diminished  as  we  ascended  the  slope  and  grew 
as  we  descended  on  the  other  side  was  very  impressive.  Of  course  I 
have  seen  the  same  thing  before,  but  never  where  the  head  springs  were 
so  near  together.  At  the  summit  of  the  pass,  so  they  told  us.  is  a  house 
that  stands  exactly  on  the  water-shed.  The  rain  that  falls  on  the  north- 
ern half  of  the  roof  flows  into  the  Black  Sea  by  way  of  the  Sill,  the 
Inn,  and  the  Danube,  while  that  on  the  southern  half  of  the  roof  reaches 
the  Mediterranean,  or,  rather,  the  Adriatic,  through  the  Eisak  and 
the  Adige.  I  mentioned  this  to  Mary,  and  she  repeated  Dr.  Holmes's 
poem,  entitled  'The  Two  Streams.'  which  she  said  she  was  reminded  of. 
I  can't  repeat  the  whole  poem,  but  remember  the  second  and  third 
verses  of  it : 

"  '  Yon  stream  whose  sourees  run, 
Turned  by  the  pebble's  edge. 
Is  Athabasca,  rolling  towards  the  sun, 
Through  the  cleft  mouutaiu  ledge. 

"'The  slender  rill  had  strayed. 
But  for  the  slanting  stone, 
To  evening's  ocean,  with  the  taDgled  braid 
Of  foam -flecked  Oregon.'  " 

"But  you  must  not  suppose  we  had  an  uninterrupted  view  of  rivers 
and  mountains  during  our  journey.  It  was  often  very  annoying,  as  we 
were  getting  interested  in  the  scenery,  looking  at  a  mountain,  a  glacier, 
or  a  lake,  or  watching  the  windings  of  a  river,  to  dart  into  a  tunnel,  and 


A   SUGGESTION   FOR   TUNNEL   MAKERS. 


425 


A    GLACIER    IS    THE    TYROL. 


have  our  view  completely  cut  off  by  a  blank  wall  of  rock.  It  was  as 
though  a  shingle  were  suddenly  held  before  your  eyes  as  you  are  look- 
ing at  a  beautiful  picture,  and  held  by  some  one  you  cannot  influence  to 
remove  it,  or  allow  you  to  change  your  position." 

TVnen  Mrs.  Bassett  mentioned  the  interruptions  to  the  view  by  the 
tunnels  and  deep  cuttings  that  occur  along  the  railway,  Frank  suggested 
that  it  would  be  a  great  improvement  if  the  company  would  paint  a 
panorama  on  the  walls  of  the  tunnels,  so  that  the  scenery  might  be  con- 
tinued straight  along.  Then  they  should  light  the  tunnels  with  gas  or 
electricity,  and  if  the  work  was  properly  done  travellers  would  never 
know  there  were  any  tunnels  at  all  on  the  Brenner  route. 

"  That's  a  grand  idea,"  said  Fred.  "  Suppose  you  present  it  to  the 
Central  Pacific  Railway  for  their  snow-sheds  and  galleries,  which  are 
miles  and  miles  in  extent ;  in  fact,  all  the  American  transcontinental 
railways  might  adopt  it  to  advantage." 

Frank  said  he  would  think  about  it,  but  exactly  what  he  thought  he 
has  not  yet  told  us.  But  he  told  a  very  good  story  which  the  incident 
reminded  him  of.  and  this  is  the  substance  of  it  : 


426       THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

"  There  was  once  a  man,  I  think  it  was  in  England,  who  had  a  house 
with  a  line  view  from  the  parlor  windows.  He  took  great  delight  in 
calling  the  attention  of  visitors  to  this  view,  and  it  became  famous 
among  all  who  knew  him.  But  it  happened  that  a  man  with  whom  In- 
had  quarrelled  bought  a  plot  of  land  and  built  a  house  right  in  the  mid- 
dle of  the  view;  and  whenever  a  stranger  was  Looking  from  the  parlor 
windows  he  was  pretty  certain  to  ask,  '  Whose  is  that  fine  house  there  V 
Of  course  it  annoyed  him  greatly  to  have  to  speak  of  the  man  he  de- 
tested so  much,  and  he  did  a  great  deal  of  thinking  on  the  subject. 

"And  this  was  the  result  of  his  thinking  :  he  built,  near  the  edge  of 
his  own  grounds,  a  brick  wall  which  was  high  enough  and  long  enough 
to  hide  the  obnoxious  house,  and  he  laughed  to  think  how  he  had  blot- 
ted out  his  neighbor.  But  he  found  he  had  made  matters  worse  than 
better,  for  now  every  visitor  was  sure  to  ask,  '  What  is  there  behind 
that  wall  V  or,  '  What  is  that  wall  for?'  and,  after  learning  the  situation, 
the  stranger's  curiosity  was  roused,  and  he  would  take  a  walk  through 
the  grounds  to  a  point  where  he  could  see  the  house  that  had  caused 
so  much  envy  on  the  part  of  his  host. 

"Then  the  owner  went  to  thinking  again,  and  this  time  he  succeeded. 
He  engaged  a  landscape-painter  to  paint  a  landscape  on  the  wall — the 
exact  landscape  that  was  behind  the  wall  with  the  house  left  out.  The 
edges  and  top  of  the  picture  were  made  to  match  the  real  landscape,  and 
the  whole  work  was  so  well  done  that  nobody  ever  discovered  there  was 
a  wall  there  or  asked  any  questions. 

"And  that  wasn't  all,"  continued  Frank.  "One  day  while  a  visitor 
was  taking  in  the  view  he  remarked  that  Air.  Blank  (the  owner  of  the 
obnoxious  house)  had  told  him  about  his  residence  and  what  a  fine  one 
it  was,  and,  according  to  the  description,  it  ought  to  be  visible  from 
where  they  stood ;  but  as  he  was  unable  to  see  anything  of  the  kind,  he 
concluded  that  Mr.  Blank  had  been  boasting  of  something  that  didn't 
exist,  and  he  would  thereafter  shun  his  acquaintance.  Then  the  builder 
of  the  wall  was  happy,  and  felt  amply  repaid  for  all  his  trouble." 

Everybody  laughed  at  the  story,  with  the  exception  of  Mrs.  Bassett, 
who  only  smiled  slightly.  Evidently  she  was  doubtful  about  its  accu- 
racy, as  she  proceeded  to  (juestion  her  son  upon  a  certain  point  in  the 
narrative  which  troubled  her. 

"  I  wish  you  would  tell  me,  Frank,"  she  said,  "how  such  a  thing  is 
possible  with  the  changes  of  season  and  weather.  The  landscape  on  the 
wall  must  have  been  of  one  season  of  the  year  and  one  kind  of  weather. 
If  it  was  painted  to  represent  the  scene  on  a  bright  summer's  day.  with 


MARY'S  READY   WIT. 


427 


the  trees  in  full  leaf  and  the  ground  green  with  its  carpet  of  grass,  it 
certainly  couldn't  match  the  scene  outside  of  it  in  autumn  or  winter, 
with  the  trees  leafless  and  the  ground  brown  and  bare,  or  else  white 
with  a  covering  of  snow." 

"  I  only  tell  the  story  as  I  heard  it,"  replied  Frank,  "and  that  point 
wasn't  mentioned.  It  isn't  my  affair  to  help  the  man  out  of  his  diffi- 
culty, or  repair  any  of  his  blunders." 

"  I'll  try  to  help  him  out,"  said  Mary.  "  I'll  be  more  generous  than 
you  are.     See  if  I  am  not." 

■■All  right;  I'll  be  greatly  obliged,"  was  the  reply.  "  But  how  will 
vou  do  it  ?     I  can't  begin  to  guess." 

•'  "Why,  this  must  be  the  explanation  •  the  man  who  built  the  wall 
and  had  it  decorated  was  a  fashionable  gentleman.    He  only  entertained 


YILLAGK.    IN    THK    MOUNTAINS. 


42S       THE  BUY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

at  his  country-place  during'  'the  season,'  and  kept  the  house  closed  for 
the  rest  of  the  year.     He  had  the  picture  painted  for  'the  season,'  and 

for  no  other  time.  Probably  it  represented  a  bright  day.  and  if  it  rained 
■when  visitors  were  there  the  view  of  the  "view"  was  postponed  to  line 
weather,  and  the  guests  were  otherwise  amused." 

"That  clears  up  the  difficulty  somewhat."*  said  Mrs.  Bassett.  "1 
won't  mention  anything  else  to  throw  doubt  on  the  story,  for  fear  we 
shall  miss  some  of  the  scenery  along  the  route  we  are  travelling.  Let 
us  look  about  us  again.     "What  is  that  '." 

As  she  spoke  she  pointed  to  the  crumbling  walls  of  a  castle  on  a 
commanding  peak,  high  above  the  river  and  road.  Nobody  could  tell 
what  castle  it  was.  Frank  said  it  was  probably  one  of  the  strongholds 
formerly  numerous  throughout  the  country,  but  long  since  fallen  into 
disuse.  In  this  respect  the  Tyrol  is  not  unlike  other  parts  of  Europe 
where  our  friends  had  travelled.  The  ruins  to  which  Mrs.  Bassett  called 
attention  were  like  hundreds  of  other  ruins  they  had  seen,  and  were 
doubtless  surrounded  with  similar  associations  of  tyranny,  siege,  foray, 
love,  war,  and  other  things  that  had  such  a  prominent  part  in  mediaeval 
life.     History  generally  repeats  itself. 

'•  It's  of  no  use  for  me  to  describe  the  mountains,  valleys,  rivers,  and 
other  features  of  the  scenery  on  the  route,"  said  Mary.  "  as  I  should  only 
be  repeating  in  great  measure  what  we  have  told  you  about  Switzer- 
land. Suffice  it  to  say  that  there  was  enough  to  engage  our  attention 
all  the  time  of  the  journey  till  we  reached  Botzen.  There,  as  you  know, 
we  were  to  leave  the  train  and  spend  the  night.  And  now  1*11  tell  you 
about  Botzen,  and  how  it  is  situated. 

"  "We  have  descended  3500  feet  from  the  summit  of  the  pass,  so  that 
we  are  a  thousand  feet  nearer  the  level  of  the  sea  than  we  were  at 
Innsbruck.  Fred  says  the  situation  of  the  two  places  is  very  much  the 
same,  only  a  great  deal  different.  One  is  on  the  northern  side  of  the 
Alps  and  the  other  on  the  southern  side,  which  makes  a  vast  deal  of 
difference,  even  Avere  there  no  other  points  to  note.  Innsbruck  is  in  a 
broad  valley,  while  Botzen  is  in  a  narrow  one  ;  Innsbruck  is  clean  and 
bright,  while  Botzen  is  full  of  vile  smells,  though  it  has  streams  of  water 
running  through  its  streets,  and  seems  to  be  well  drained. 

"  Botzen  was  founded  long  before  the  memory  of  the  great-grand- 
father of  the  oldest  inhabitant's  great-grandfather,  as  it  was  ]>laced  here 
by  the  Bomans.  The  Italians  call  the  place  Bolzano,  which  is  near 
enough  like  Botzen  to  satisfy  any  one  who  is  not  too  exacting. 

'•  Thev  tell  us  that  Botzen  is  a  verv  busv  commercial  town,  and  has 


BOTZEN   AND   ITS   HISTORY. 


429 


some  important  manufactories.  It  commanded  very  much  of  the  trade 
between  Venice  and  the  north  during  the  Middle  Ages,  and  was  even 
more  important  then  than  now.  It  has  been  the  scene  of  war  and  pil- 
lage, and  its  importance  in  a  commercial  sense  made  it  a  place  worth 


PARISH    CHURCH,    BOTZKN. 


fighting  for.  Situated  in  a  cleft  in  the  mountains,  with  an  exposure 
towards  the  south,  it  is  very  warm  in  summer — so  much  so  that  all  the 
inhabitants  who  can  afford  to  maintain  country-seats  have  resorts  among 
the  mountains,  to  which  they  flee  in  the  hottest  weather. 

"As  we  had  so  short  a  time  to  stay  in  Botzen,  it  was  fortunate  for 
us  that  the  place  is  small  (about  11,000  inhabitants)  and  very  few  reg- 
ular sights  that  must  be  seen.  The  principal  sight  is  the  parish  church, 
which  was  built  in  the  fourteenth  and  fifteenth  centuries,  and  has  a 


£30        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

very  pretty  tower,  from  which  there  is  a  magnificent  view.  We  went 
through  the  church,  but  did  not  climb  to  the  top  of  the  tower,  as  we 

thought  we  had  enjoyed  a  sufficiency  of  mountain  views  in  the  Tyrolean 
Alps— fur  that  day,  at  least. 

'•That  it  is  warm  here  occasionally  is  very  evident  from  the  arcades 
with  which  most  of  the  sidewalks  are  covered,  especially  those  along 
the  business  streets.  I  mentioned  the  streams  of  water  that  flow 
through  the  streets.  They  are  in  covered  gutters  with  occasional  open- 
ings, and  at  some  of  these  openings  we  saw  laundresses  working  at  their 
trade  of  cleansing  linen  in  the  primitive  way.  It  is  proper  to  remark 
that  the  population  is  more  Italian  than  German,  and  many  of  the  cus- 
toms are  essentially  Italian  as  well  as  the  houses,  ami  the  modes  of  living 
in  them.  \Ve  realize  that  according  to  physical  geography  we  are  in  Italy 
and  the  south,  though  political  geography  assigns  us  to  Austria  and  the 
north.  Though  still  in  the  mountains,  we  are  in  the  land  of  the  vine, 
and  there  is  a  large  business  at  Botzen  in  the  sale  of  the  wine  of  Terlau, 
which  is  produced  in  the  neighborhood. 

"  "We  wished  we  could  have  kept  on  down  the  valley  of  the  Adige 
into  Italy,  hut  under  the  circumstances  the  most  we  could  do  in  that 
direction  was  to  wish.  The  southern  part  of  the  Tyrol  contains  more 
castles  than  the  northern — in  fact,  it  has  cpiite  a  resemblance  to  the 
regions  of  the  Rhine  in  this  particular  feature.  There  is  one  famous 
castle  I  would  like  to  see,  though  probably  it  would  not  prove  particu- 
larly remarkable  when  one  stood  within  its  walls.  It  is  known  as 
Schloss  Tyrol,  and  was  the  residence  of  the  counts  of  Tyrol,  who  pos- 
sessed a  great  deal  of  power,  and  made  that  power  felt  as  early  as  the 
twelfth  century.  They  were  strong  enough  to  give  their  name  to  the 
country,  which  is  called  Tyrol  because  these  counts  ruled  over  it  so 
long  and  so  despotically. 

'•  The  old  schloss  is  close  to  the  town  of  ]\leran,  which  is  a  health  re- 
sort about  twenty  mdes  from  Botzen.  and  very  charmingly  situated. 
So  pretty  is  it  that  it  ought  not  to  be  monopolized  by  invalids,  and  I 
don't  suppose  it  is.  as  a  good  many  travellers  who  are  not  on  the  in- 
valid list  go  there  every  year.  One  gentleman  who  has  been  at  Meran 
says  the  doctors  and  landlords  of  the  place  have  exhausted  the  ingenuity 
of  their  imaginations  in  devising  attractions  for  the  invalid.  In  addi- 
tion to  pleasant  walks,  parks,  lounges,  reading-rooms,  music-halls,  and 
the  like,  they  have  introduced  a  great  number  of  '  cures."  so  that  an  in- 
valid can  never  be  at  a  loss  for  something  that  will  strike  his  particular 
malady.     Thev  have  the  water-cure,  the  dry-air  cure,  the  whev-cure. 


SOUTH   TYROL. 


431 


milk-cure,  cream -cure,  grape-cure,  plum- cure,  and  I  don't  know  how 
many  other  treatments,  and  some  of  tbem  have  subdivisions.  Thus  the 
milk-cure  is  subdivided  into  cow's-niilk,  goat's -milk,  sheep's-milk,  and 
asses' -milk  cures,  and  the  grape -cure  is  divided  into  almost  as  many 
branches  as  there  are  varieties  and  colors  of  grapes. 

"  South  Tyrol  is  a  very  fertile  region,  and  its  agriculture  is  said  to 
be  carried  on  with  the  greatest  care.  Every  spot  of  land  that  will  bear 
anything  is  utilized  for  what  it  will  best  produce.  In  all  the  valleys 
grapes  are  grown,  and  they    form    the  principal   crop,  so    that  wine 


:^«. 


•;:*  '^VAff? 


is  abundant  and       r~~£^% --=; --  ': 
cheap.      Nearly 
all  the  vineyards 

and  fields  are  irrigated,  and  as 
there  is  an  abundance  of  water 
flowing   down    from    the    mount-  meran-. 

ains  the  crops  are  absolutely  cer- 
tain every  year.     In  many  places  two  or  three  crops  of  grass  and  other 
things  are  raised,  and  I  have  just  been  reading  of  no  fewer  than  five  crops 
being  made  in  one  season,  and  very  good  crops  they  are  said  to  have  been. 


432       THE  R()Y  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

"  But  it  is  time  to  turn  north,  and  I  will  stop  right  here." 

Our  friends  took  the  train  from  Botzen  fur  Innsbruck  and  Munich, 
as  originally  agreed,  and  in  due  time  reached  the  last-named  city,  where 
thev  found  Doctor  Bronson  waiting  to  receive  them.  That  the  meeting 
was  a  happy  one  in  every  way  will  be  inferred  by  our  readers.  It  will 
also  be  inferred  that  everybody  had  so  much  to  say  that  there  was  no 
time  to  make  a  record  of  the  conversation,  and  consequently  we  are  un- 
able to  give  even  a  summary  of  what  was  said. 

During  the  ride  from  Botzen  to  Munich,  Mary  suggested  that 
though  they  had  been  in  Austria  ever  since  they  passed  the  Arlberg 
Tunnel  on  their  way  to  Innsbruck,  nobody  had  said  anything  about  the 
government  of  the  country,  the  imperial  family  of  Austria,  the  army, 
navy,  religion,  or  industries  of  the  land  they  were  in. 

"We've  been  too  much  occupied  thus  far,"  said  Frank,  "to  attend 
to  anything  that  was  not  immediately  before  us.  iSTow  we  have  a  little 
leisure,  ami  can  investigate  the  subject  you  mention." 

••  I  knew  it  would  be  coming,"  said  Fred,  "  and  so  I  prepared  my- 
self for  what  was  inevitable." 

"  1  know  you  did,''  replied  Mary  ;  "  for  two  or  three  times  I  saw  you 
were  busy  with  The  Statesman's  Year-Book.  I  watched  the  chance,  and 
picked  the  volume  up  for  my  own  use  one  afternoon  when  you  and 
Frank  went  out  and  learned  something  for  myself." 

"  Then  you  know  as  much  on  the  subject  as  I  do."  was  the  reply, 
"and  1*11  leave  you  to  tell  the  story." 

"  No,"  retorted  Mary ; "  I  did  not  have  much  time  for  studying  it.  and 
am  sure  you  can  <nve  the  best  account.  I  can  tell  something  about  the 
reigning  family,  but  not  much  else.  Suppose  you  give  a  little  sketch  of 
the  country,  and  then  perhaps  I'll  tell  something  about  the  Emperor  and 
Empress — provided,  of  course,  I  have  something  to  tell." 

"  That's  agreed,"  said  Fred.  And  without  more  banter  he  proceeded 
at  once  with  what  he  had  to  say.  or.  rather,  he  answered  Mrs.  Bassett's 
question,  which  was  just  then  propounded,  as  to  the  number  of  inhabit- 
ants in  the  country  included  in  the  empire  of  Austria. 

"  According  to  the  latest  returns,"  said  Fred,  "  the  Austro-Hungarian 
monarchy  has  a  population  of  nearly  40,000,000,  occuping  a  territory  of 
241, ('00  square  miles.  These  40.000,000  include  Germans.  Bohemians, 
Moravians.  Slovaks,  Poles.  Euthenians.  Slovenes,  Servians,  Croatians, 
Latins,  Roumanians,  Magyars,  Tyrolese.  and  I  don't  know  how  many 
other  races  and  tribes  of  men." 

••  It  is  said,"  remarked  Mary,  as  Fred  paused  to  take  breath,  after 


LANGUAGES   IN  AUSTRIA. 


433 


*L^^^-^  ^1= 


pronouncing  so 
many  names,"  that 
more  than  twen- 
ty languages  are 
spoken  in  the  em- 
pire. The  Emper- 
or Francis  Joseph 
II.  is  one  of  the 
finest  linguists  in 
the  world,  and  claims  to  be  able 
to  converse  with  every  one  of 
his  subjects." 

"  What !"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Bas- 
sett;  "the  Emperor  speaking 
twenty  languages  !  How  can  that 
be  possible  ?" 

Fred  explained  that  there  was 
a  resemblance  of  some  of  the  lan- 
guages to   each   other.     Insteac 
of  languages   only    it  would  be 
more  nearly  correct  to  say  "  languages 
and  dialects."     German  is  the  official 
language  of  the  Impei'ial  Government, 

but  the  decrees  are  issued  in  the  local  tongues  of  the  provinces  where 
they  are  promulgated.  Next  to  German  comes  the  Magyar  language, 
which  is  the  official  one  of  Huno-arv 

"  You  spoke  of  the  Austro-Hungarian  monarchy  a  moment  ago  ' 

28  ° 


SCHLOSS    TYROL. 


431        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

said  Mrs.  Bassett.  ""Why  did  you  say  that  instead  of  The  Austrian 
empire'  which  is  much  shorter?" 

"Because,"  replied  Fred,  "that  is  the  official  designation  of  the 
country,  and  has  been  since  1868.  In  German  it  is  Oesterreichisch- 
ZTngarische  monarch ie." 

"  And  how  does  it  get  that  name?" 

"Because  of  the  union  between  Austria  and  Hungary,  which  was 
formed  in  1S67,  after  the  defeat  of  Austria  in  its  war  with  Prussia  dur- 
ing the  previous  year.  Hungary  had  been  for  some  time  a  kingdom 
without  a  king.  It  was  conquered  by  Austria  in  1819,  and  from  that 
time  till  1807  it  was  a  crown-land,  or  province,  of  the  empire.  Its  peo- 
ple refused  to  send  representatives  to  the  Austrian  Parliament,  or  accept 
anything,  except  the  fact  that  they  were  subject  to  the  will  of  their  con- 
querors,  who  held  them  by  force.  After  its  defeat  by  Prussia,  the  Gov- 
ernment of  Austria  realized  the  necessity  of  conciliating  the  Hungari- 
ans, and  it  did  so  by  recognizing  the  country  as  an  independent  kingdom, 
giving  back  to  it  the  provinces  which  had  been  torn  away,  allowing  it 
to  have  its  own  Parliament  and  its  own  local  management  of  affairs; 
in  fact,  Hungary  was  made  independent  in  nearly  everything  but  the 
actual  name  of  independence.  As  a  part  of  the  union,  the  Emperor  of 
Austria  was  crowned  King  of  Hungary,  and  so  he  has  the  double  title 
of  Kaiser  and  Konig  (Emperor  and  King),  while  the  united  country  has 
the  name  of  Austro-Hungarian  Monarchy." 

"Then  I  suppose  Hungary  has  a  Parliament  of  its  own,  and  can 
make  laws  to  suit  itself  without  consulting  Austria  '." 

"Yes;  it  has  its  own  Parliament,  and  a  ministry  of  its  own.  When 
Parliament  opens  its  sessions  the  Emperor  goes  there,  but  after  cross- 
ing the  line  between  Austria  and  Hungary  he  is  no  longer  Emperor,  but 
King.  Each  of  the  two  countries  has  its  own  constitution,  and  each  can 
legislate  for  itself  in  matters  that  are  not  common  to  both.'' 

"  What  are  the  matters  that  belong  to  both  together,  and  how  do 
they  legislate  concerning  them  ?     Please  tell  us." 

"  Foreign  affairs  are  under  the  imperial  direction,  and  so  are  most 
of  those  of  the  army  and  navy  and  the  finances.  In  considering  these 
matters  the  legislation  is  conducted  by  '  delegations,'  as  they  are  called. 
A  delegation  consists  of  120  members — 60  from  Austria  and  60  from 
Hungary ;  one-third  are  from  the  Upper  House  of  Parliament  of  each 
country,  and  two-thirds  from  the  Lower  House.  They  hold  office  for 
one  year  only,  and  meet  alternately  at  Vienna  and  Pesth.  The  ministers 
of  foreign  affairs,  war,  and  finance  are  responsible  to  the  delegation  in 


RELATIONS   OF  AUSTRIA  AND   HUNGARY. 


the  same  way  that  the  ministry  of  England  is  responsible  to  the  British 
Parliament,  which  you  know  about. 

"  The  relations  between  Austria  and  Hungary  sometimes  lead  to 
friction,  but  there  has  never  been  any  serious  trouble  between  them 
since  the  adoption  of  the  union  in  1S67.  On  some  occasions  the  Hun- 
garians have  defeated  measures  which  were  desired  by  the  Imperial 
Government,  and  it  sometimes  happens  that  the  legislative  bodies  of 
the  countries  are  in  opposition  to  each  other.  At  such  times  affairs 
might  wear  a  serious  aspect  were  it  not  for  the  'delegation'  which  I 
have  described.  It  acts  as  a  harmonizing  body,  and  its  decision  is  ac- 
cepted with  becoming  resignation  by  all  concerned. 

"But  the  bodies  I  have  mentioned  are  not  by  any  means  the  only 
legislative  ones  in  the  country,"  Fred  continued.  "  Each  of  the  prov- 
inces has  its  Diet,  or  Parliament, 
which  has  control  over  local  affairs, 
such  as  the  construction  of  roads, 
tilling  the  soil,  local  taxation,  and 
also  the  churches  and  schools,  and 
matters  pertaining  to  them.  The 
cities,  towns,  and  communes  have 
their  local  councils  or  corporations, 
which  are  elected  by  the  people 
very  much  as  are  those  of  cities 
and  towns  in  England  or  America. 
Some  have  greater  powers  than 
others,  depending  upon  their  char- 
ters, or  upon  the  general  constitu- 
tion, which  was  adopted  after  the 
revolution  of  1848." 

•'  Did  they  have  a  revolution 
here  at  that  time,  as  in  France  and 
Germany  ?"  Mrs.  Bassett  asked. 

"  Yes,"  was  the  reply,  "  and  it 
followed  closely  upon  the  uprising 
in  Paris  that  drove  Louis  Philippe 
from  his  throne.  The  people  of  Vi- 
enna caught  the  revolutionary  in- 
fection and  rebelled  against  the 
imperial  authority,  and  there  were 
uprisings  all  over  the  empire.     The 


COSTCME    OF    SARS    TH.1L,   TYROL. 


430 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


story  is  too  long  to  tell  here.  The  Emperor  Ferdinand  fled  to  Inns- 
bruck, where  he  remained  till  the  storm  was  over,  or  at  least  was  sup- 
posed to  be.     Soon   after  he  came  back   there  was  a   fresh   outbreak. 

Peace  and  quiet  were 
restored  on  the  assem- 
bling of  an  Austrian 
Parliament,  and  the  ab- 
dication of  the  Emper- 
or Ferdinand  in  favor 
of  his  nephew,  Francis 
Joseph,  who  was  then 
about  eighteen  years 
old." 

"  That  is  the  pres- 
ent Emperor,  is  it  not '.'' 
••  Yes  :  he  was  pro- 
claimed Emperor  of 
Austria,  to  succeed  his 
uncle,  and  soon  after 
taking  the  oath  of  of- 
fice he  put  forth  a  con- 
stitution for  the  coun- 
try of  his  own  free  will; 
but  it  was  not  of  much 
use  to  the  people,  as 
only  the  reactionary 
parts  of  it  went  into 
operation  ;  and  in  1S52 
it  was  altogether  an- 
nulled, trial  by  jury  was 
abolished,  and  also  the 
liberty  of  the  press,  and  for  nearly  ten  years  the  Government  was  a  des- 
potism of  the  most  pronounced  character.  In  1S61  a  new  constitution 
was  given  to  the  country,  and,  with  various  modifications,  it  has  been 
in  force  ever  since,  and  has  been  generally  satisfactory. 

"Under  the  constitution,"  continued  Fred,  "there  is  absolute  free- 
dom of  religion,  though  the  Emperor  must  belong  to  the  Roman  Catho- 
lic Church,  and  the  religion  of  the  Emperor  is  practically  the  religion 
of  the  State,  though  Church  and  State  are  independent  of  each  other. 
Every  religious  body  has  the  right  of  undisturbed  public  worship  and 


TTB0LE3K    GIRL    SPINNING 


RELIGIONS   IN   AUSTRIA.— THE   ARMY. 


437 


the  management  of  its  affairs,  and  every  citizen  or  subject  may  enjoy 
his  civil  and  political  rights  without  regard  to  his  religious  belief." 

"  Is  it  the  same  way  in  Hungary  ?" 

"  Yes,  just  the  same." 

"  What  is  the  prevailing  religion  ?" 

"  In  Austria  SO  per  cent,  of  the  people  are  Koman  Catholics,  and 
in  Hungary  50  per  cent.  In  the  two  countries  10  per  cent,  are  Greek 
Catholics,  9  per  cent,  belong  to  various  Protestant  denominations,  7  per 
cent,  are  Byzantine  Greeks,  and  4  per  cent,  are  Hebrews ;  then  there 
are  a  few  Moslems  and  other  people  not  of  any  Christian  faith,  but  they 


EfeJS?- 


do  not  occupy  a  prominent  place      I 
in  the  census  statistics."  % 

"  What  are  the  rules  as  to  mil-      | 
itary  service  ?" 

"  The  system  is  very  much  like      | 
that  of  Germany  or  France,"  was      5 
the  reply,  "  the  whole  male  pop-      I 
ulation  capable  of  bearing  arms 
being  liable  to  duty.     Every  man 
from  his  nineteenth  to  his  forty- 
second  year  is  liable  to  service  in  the  landsturm,  or  militia,  at  the  call 


MOUNTAIN    PASTURE,   TYROL. 


438 


THE  COY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


of  the  Emperor,  unless  he  happens  to  he  serving  in  the  active  army  or 
navy,  in  the  landwehr,  or  in  one  of  the  reserves.     The  active  army  and 

navy  In-long  to  the  two  parts  of 
the  monarchy  in  common.  The 
landwehr  is  a  special  national  in- 
stitution in  each  sepa- 
rate part  of  the  coun- 
try, and  in  time  of  peace 
is  only  called  out 


. 


V 


'-- 


■>£ 


KAK.M-HODSK,  SOUTH    TYROL 


for  instruction 
and  drill. 
"  In  time  of  peace 
the  active  army  is  about 
300,000  strong,  with  per- 
haps 30,000  landwehr 
under  instruction.  In 
case  of  war  the  active 
array  would  he  increased  to  900,000,  the  landwehr  to  400,000,  and  there 
would  he  a  call  for  500,000  of  the  landsturm,  making  1,800,000  in  all. 
There  are  more  than  4,000,000  men  in  the  monarchy  who  could  he 
required  to  serve  in  the  landsturm  in  case  of  war,  or  one  in  ten  of  the 
entire  population  of  the  two  sections  of  the  country. 

"  As  for  the  navy."  the  youth  continued.  "  it  is  less  powerful  than 
that  of  Germany  or  of  France.  It  has  two  turret -ships  and  eight  ships 
with  casemates. besides  two  or  three  that  are  designated  as  'ram-cruisers.' 
It  is  particularly  strong  in  torpedo-boats,  of  which  it  has  more  than 
sixty.     Most  of  these  torpedo -hoats  are  small,  and  intended  for  coast 


THE    AUSTRIAN    NAVY.  439 

service;  but  it  has  eight  sea -going  torpedo  -  cruisers  in  its  fleet,  and 
they  are  said  to  be  very  powerful  and  well  equipped.  The  naval  service 
on  a  peace  footing  employs  about  ten  thousand  officers  and  men,  and 
there  is  a  se&wehr,  corresponding  to  the  landwehr  of  the  army.  The 
terms  of  service  in  the  army  and  navy  are  alike." 

Frank  had  shown  himself  a  good  listener  while  Fred  was  telling 
about  the  Austro- Hungarian  monarchy,  as  we  have  just  recorded.  As 
the  latter  paused,  Frank  said  he  was  reminded  of  something  that  might- 
be  interesting  in  connection  with  the  navy  of  the  empire. 

"  What  is  that  V  queried  Fred. 

"  The  battle  of  Lissa,"  replied  Frank. 

'•What  of  it?" 

"  It  was  the  first  battle  in  the  open  sea  in  which  iron-clad  ships  were 
engaged  with  each  other.  It  was  fought  in  July,  1866,  during  the  war 
between  Prussia  and  Austria,  when  Italy  took  sides  with  Prussia  against 
Austria.  The  Italian  and  Austrian  fleets  had  each  twenty-three  vessels  ; 
the  Italians  had  eleven  iron -clad  vessels  and  the  Austrians  seven.  The 
battle  lasted  four  hours,  and  resulted  disastrously  for  the  Italians.  One 
of  their  iron-clads,  the  Palestro  was  blown  up,  and  all  but  nineteen  out 
of  her  crew  of  two  hundred  were  killed ;  and  another  Italian  iron-clad, 
the  lie  d' 'Italia,  was  surrounded  by  the  Austrians  and  sunk.  The  Aus- 
trian fleet  -was  commanded  by  Admiral  Tegethoff  and  the  Italian  by 
Admiral  Persano,  who  was  afterwards  tried  for  misconduct  and  dis- 
missed ignoininiously  from  the  service  of  his  country." 

"Where  is  Lissa?"  Mrs.  Bassett  asked. 

"  It  is  an  island  of  no  particular  importance  in  the  Adriatic  Sea," 
was  the  reply,  "  and  would  be  rarely  heard  of  were  it  not  for  this  mem- 
orable battle  that  took  place  near  it." 

"  In  that  respect  it  is  like  a  great  many  other  places  all  over  the 
world,"  said  Fred.  "  Hundreds  of  places  could  be  named  that  have  be- 
come known  only  through  the  battles  that  have  been  fought  in  their 
vicinity.  Take  Waterloo,  for  example ;  that  little  village  in  Belgium 
owes  its  prominence  to  the  great  battle  that  ended  the  career  of  Na- 
poleon, and  brought  about  a  general  peace  all  over  Europe." 

"  I  don't  know  whether  we  owe  it  to  the  Duke  of  Wellington  or 
Napoleon  Bonaparte  that  the  battle  was  fought  there,"  responded 
Frank ;  "  but  we  are  certainly  very  glad  that  they  chose  a  spot  with 
such  a  euphonious  name.  '  Waterloo ' — it  has  a  melodious  sound.  What 
a  misfortune  it  would  have  been  had  they  selected  Schellingwonde  or 
Noordwidjkerhout  in  Holland — " 


4-iU 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


"  Or  Novogeorgievesk  or  Brestlietewski,  in  Poland,"  interposed  Fred. 

"  Or  Miohilimacinac  or  Popocatepetl,  in  America,"  Mary  suggested. 

"Please  stop,  children,"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Bassett,  "or  I  shall  have  a 
headache  before  we  get  to  Munich."  Needless  to  say  the  war  of  geo- 
graphical words  was  suspended  at  once. 


MOUNTAIN"    AND    LAKE,  SOUTH    Tl'ROL. 


MUNICH   AS  AN   ART   CENTRE. 


441 


CHAPTER   XXV. 

ART  TREASURES  OF  MUNICH.— PUBLIC  BUILDINGS  DEVOTED  TO  ART.— "THE  DE- 
STRUCTION OF  JERUSALEM,"  AND  OTHER  FAMOUS  PICTURES.— KAULBACH,  PI- 
LOT!*, AND  OTHER  ARTISTS  OF  THE  MUNICH  SCHOOL.— PILOTY  AND  THE  KING. 
—THE  ROYAL  BLUNDER,  AND  WHAT  CAME  OF  IT.— GABRIEL  MAX,  AND  "  THE 
LION'S  BRIDE."  — HANS  MAKART ;  HIS  STYLE  OF  WORK. —  ACADEMY  OF  FINE 
ARTS.— ART  STUDENTS  IN  MUNICH;  THEIR  NUMBER,  AND  HOW  THEY  LIVE.— 
THE  CARNIVAL  BALL.— STUDENTS  WITH  FORTUNES.— STATUE  OF  "BAVARIA," 
AND  THE  HALL  OF  FAME.— THE  FRAUEN'KIRCHE  AND  ITS  MONUMENTS.  —  THE 
NATIONAL  MUSEUM  AND  ITS  CONTENTS.— BAVARIA,  AND  ITS  RELATIONS  TO  THE 
GERMAN  EMPIRE.— ARMY,  RELIGION,  SCHOOLS,  ETC.— INDUSTRIES  OF  MUNICH. 
—A  BEER-CELLAR  WITH  A  HISTORY. 


OUR  friends  spent  several  days  in  Munich,  devoting  the  greater  part 
of  their  time  to  the  art  collections,  for  which  that  city  is  famous. 
Frank  said  he  could  have  passed  months  there  in  the  study  of  the 
paintings  and  sculpture  which  the 
place  contains,  and  he  could  readily 
understand  why  so  many  students 
of  art  go  to  Munich  for  instruction 
and  study.  Fred  was  of  the  same 
opinion,  and  he  suggested  that  an 
additional  attraction  to  the  art  stu- 
dent was  the  cheapness  of  living  in 
the  city.  So  far  as  the  hotels  are 
concerned,  the  stranger  does  not 
see  much  difference  between  Mu- 
nich and  the  other  capitals  of  Eu- 
rope. The  real  difference  is  discov- 
ered by  those  who  take  up  their 
residence  in  Munich,  and  look  for 
the  cheapest  lodgings  and  the  res- 
taurants where  prices  are  lowest. 

"  To  describe  what  we  saw  in 
Munich,''  said  Frank,  "  would  take 


W1LHKLSI    YON    KACLBAC'H. 


■142  THE   B()Y   TRAVELLERS   IN   CENTRAL   EUROPE. 

many  more  sheets  of  paper  than  I  have  at  my  disposal  at  present,  and, 
besides,  the  list  of  sights  might  lie  tedious.  In  any  event,  it  would  be 
somewhat  bewildering,  as  the  reader  who  has  not  been  here  might  be- 
come confused  over  the  New  Pinacothek  and  the  Old  Pinacothek,  the 
Glyptothek,  the  Ethnographical  Museum,  and  the  other  museums  and 
collections  in  considerable  number.  I  will  briefly  say  that  the  Old  Pina- 
cothek is  a  collection  of  more  than  1400  antique  pictures  in  a  large 
building  standing  by  itself.  It  is  opposite  to  the  New  Pinacothek, 
which  contains  pictures  of  the  present  century,  including  copies  of 
many  of  the  antique  paintings  in  the  collection  first  named. 

"  To  go  through  either  of  these  buildings  and  give  anything  more 
than  the  merest  glance  at  the  paintings  will  take  more  time  than  the 
average  traveller  has  at  his  disposal.  The  same  may  be  said  of  the 
Glyptothek,  or  Kepository  of  Sculpture,  and  also  of  the  Ethnograph- 
ical Museum,  the  Schwanthaler  Museum,  the  National  Museum,  the 
Hall  of  Fame,  and  I  don't  know  what  else. 

"  From  our  studies  of  the  art  works  of  Munich  we  have  become 
interested  in  the  artists  whose  careers  are  connected  witli  the  city. 
Perhaps  )rou  would  like  to  hear  about  them,  especially  as  their  names 
are  pretty  widely  known  all  over  the  world. 

"  One  of  the  great  pictures  in  the  New  Pinacothek  is  '  The  Destruc- 
tion of  Jerusalem  by  Titus.'  It  was  the  work  of  Wilhelm  von  Kaul- 
bach,  a  German  artist,  whose  life  was  principally  spent  at  Munich, 
though  the  latter  part  of  it  was  passed  at  Berlin.  It  is  an  enormous 
picture,  covering  the  whole  wall  of  the  large  room  where  it  hangs,  and 
the  work  of  painting  it  must  have  occupied  a  long  time.  How  many 
figures  there  are  in  it  I  can't  tell,  but  certainly  a  great  many.  In  the 
centre  is  Titus  driving  triumphantly  over  the  ruins  of  Jerusalem,  and 
on  each  side  there  are  groups  of  men  and  women  and  children,  in 
whose  faces  it  is  not  difficult  to  read  the  emotions  of  terror,  anguish, 
and  despair.  Over  the  ruins  of  the  buildings  and  the  crowds  in  the 
foreground  the  artist  has  represented  the  five  prophets  that  foretold 
the  destruction  of  the  city ;  and  there  are  avenging  angels  coming  out 
of  the  sky,  and  evidently  joining  the  conqueror  in  his  work  of  destruc- 
tion. Then  there  are  other  angels  who  are  caring  for  the  Christians 
and  leading  them  to  places  of  safety,  and  there  is  one  group  where  the 
children  of  the  Christians  are  being  separated  from  those  of  the  unbe- 
lievers. Then  there  are  demons  driving  out  the  "Wandering  Jew,  and 
altogether  the  picture  is  a  strange  combination  of  the  natural  and  su- 
pernatural on  a  single  canvas. 


WILHELM  VON  KAULBACH. 


443 


THE    "  Bl'SH-KANGER.'' [F    DieiZ.] 


"  There  is  a  curious  circumstance  connected  with  the  life  of  Kaul- 
bach  that,  though  his  father  intended  that  he  should  become  an  artist, 
he  showed  very  little  inclination  for  painting  until  a  collection  of  en- 
gravings, illustrating  Schiller's  tragedies,  fell  into  his  hands,  and  seemed 
to  give  an  impulse  in  the  right  direction.  He  was  born  in  1805,  and 
died  in  1874.  His  first  famous  picture,  '  The  Madhouse,'  was  painted 
when  he  was  twenty-four  years  old,  and  from  that  time  until  his  death 


Ill 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


he  was  never  idle.  '  The  Destruction  of  Jerusalem'  was  completed  in 
1838.  In  the  previous  year  he  finished  '  The  Battle  of  the  Huns,"  which 
resembles  the  other  great  picture  in  combining  the  ideal  with  the  real. 
According  to  the  tradition,  the  Huns  fought  before  the  gates  of  Rome; 
and  as  they  were  killed  their  spirits  rose  in  the  air  and  continued  the 
battle  against  the  Romans  with  great  vigor. 

"  Another  famous  artist  whose  name  is  associated  with  Munich  is 
Karl  Theodor  Piloty,  who  is  a  native  of  the  city,  where  he  was  born  in 
1820.  He  succeeded  Kaulbach  as  President  of  the  Academy  of  Fine 
Arts,  after  the  death  of  the  latter.  His  line  of  work  is  chiefly  historical, 
and  he  does  not  introduce  the  supernatural  into  his  paintings,  after  the 
manner  of  Kaulbach  and  a  few  others. 

"We  have  been  much  interested  in  one  of  Piloty's  pictures,  partly 
by  reason  of  its  size,  and  also  on  account  of  the  history  that  is  connect- 
ed with  it.     The  canvas  is  forty  feet  long,  and  he  was  obliged  to  paint 
it  in  Kaulbach's  old  studio,  for  the  reason  that  his  own  studio,  thirty- 
five  feet   square,  was  too  small  to 
contain  it.     It  is  an  allegorical  his- 
tory of  Munich,  aud  the  figures  in 
it  are  portraits  of  citizens  who  have 
been  distinguished   in   art,  science, 
commerce,  or  anything  else  that  has 
tended  to  the  progress  of  the  city. 
It  was  painted  to  order,  and  when 
it  was  completed  the  artist  received 
825,000  for  his  work. 

'•  A  °;ood  story  is  told  about  Pi- 
loty  which  I  think  you  will  enjoy, 
as  I  did  when  I  heard  it.     One  day 
he  was  at  work  on  a  picture  rep- 
resenting a  scene   in   German  his- 
tory ('Seni  Discovering  Wallenstein 
Dead'),  and  he  had  been  busy  for 
hours  trying  to  drape  a  curtain  so 
that  it  would  hang  to  suit  him.    He 
had  just  succeeded,  and  was  about 
to  put  the  drapery  in  his  picture, 
when  there  was  a  knock  at  the  door  of  his  studio.     The  visitor  was  no 
less  a  personage  than  the  King  of  Bavaria,  who  was  a  great  patron  of 
art,  and  had  a  personal  acquaintance  with  the  principal  artists  in  the  city. 


i  u$flm 


v, 


V 


KARL    THEODOB    PILOTY. 


WHAT   A  KIXG   DID.  445 

"  The  King  managed,  during  the  course  of  his  visit,  to  walk  against 
the  drapery,  and  completely  break  up  the  arrangement  that  Piloty  had 
just  made.  The  artist  smothered  his  anger  as  best  he  could.  Had  it 
been  any  one  else  than  the  King  he  would  have  '  spoken  his  mind,'  and 
ordered  the  visitor  from  the  room.  When  the  King  had  gone  Piloty 
tore  his  hair,  and  vented  his  rage  on  the  air  of  his  studio.  Before  pro- 
ceeding to  rearrange  the  drapery,  he  took  another  look  at  it,  and  found 
that  it  contained  a  new  fold  that  was  just  what  he  desired.  It  was 
really  in  better  shape  than  before  the  King  walked  against  it,  and 
he  sat  down  at  once  and  sketched  it  into  the  picture  he  was  pro- 
ducing, and  it  is  there  to-day.* 

"  Mamma  called  our  attention  to  a  picture  entitled  '  The  Lion's 
Bride,'  which  was  painted  by  Gabriel  Max,  another  celebrated  artist  of 
the  Munich  school.  It  isn't  a  pleasing  subject,  though  it  is  a  fascinating 
one.  I  would  not  like  to  have  it  in  my  private  gallery,  if  I  had  one,  as 
the  suggestions  in  it  are  not  such  as  one  would  wish  to  have  before  him 
every  day.  But  it  is  a  fine  painting  for  a  public  gallery,  and  the  same 
may  be  said  of  the  majority  of  this  artist's  works.  The  subject  of  '  The 
Lion's  Bride '  is  taken  from  a  German  poem.  It  represents  a  young 
girl,  a  Christian  martyr,  who  has  been  given  to  the  wild  animals  in  the 
Colosseum  at  Bome  for  them  to  devour  for  the  amusement  of  the  popu- 
lace and  the  gratification  of  their  own  hunger.  "While  a  great  lion  is 
crouching  over  her,  some  one  in  the  crowd  of  spectators  drops  a  flower 
in  front  of  the  girl  to  signify  that  all  the  spectators  are  not  pitiless — one, 
at  least,  being  in  sympathy  with  her.  The  fall  of  the  flower  causes  the 
lion  to  pause  before  tearing  his  victim  to  pieces,  and  it  is  this  incident 
that  the  artist  has  placed  on  the  canvas. 

"  I  must  not  forget  to  speak  of  the  Kunstverein,  or  Art  Union,  of 
Munich,  which  has  an  exhibition  every  week.  "We  went  to  see  the  col- 
lection for  this  week,  and  a  very  good  one  it  is,  though  it  does  not  by 
any  means  contain  pictures  by  all  the  artists  in  Munich.  The  best  of 
them  do  not  generally  send  their  paintings  there,  though  they  belong  to 
the  "Union,  which  anybody  may  join  by  paying  twenty  marks  (five 
dollars).  At  the  end  of  the  week  the  collection  is  sent  to  another  city 
for  exhibition,  and  a  new  one  takes  its  place.  Some  of  the  pictures  are 
bought  by  the  Union,  provided  the  price  does  not  exceed  a  certain  limit. 
At  the  end  of  each  year  the  pictures  are  disposed  of  by  a  lottery  among 
the  members,  and  everybody,  whether  he  draws  a  painting  or  a  blank, 

*  See  The  Boy  Travellers  in  Kortliern  Europe,  p.  393. 


446 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


receives  a  fine  engraving  which  is  worth  one-half  the  amount  of  his  an- 
nual subscription,  and  sometimes  more. 

"The  Academy  of  Fine  Arts  is  supported  by  the  Government,  which 
pays  liberal  salaries  to  the  professors,  and  makes  a  very  low  charge  to 
the  students  who  take  instruction  there.    An  artist  with  whom  I  talked 


'the  lion's  biiidk." — [By  Max.] 


yesterday,  a  young  American  who  lias  been  here  two  or  three  years, 
says  that  Munich  is  the  cheapest  of  the  art  schools  of  Europe,  and  at 
the  same  time  is  one  of  the  very  best,  if  not  the  best,  of  all. 

"  One  of  the  celebrated  artists  of  Munich  is— or,  rather,  was— Hans 
Makart.  He  was  a  native  of  Salzburg,  in  Austria,  and  came  in  early  life 
to  Munich,  where  he  studied  under  Piloty.  When  the  Austrian  Impe- 
rial Art  School  was  established  at  Vienna,  the  Emperor  called  from 
Munich  all  the  distinguished  Austrian  artists  who  were  living  there, 
and  gave  them  appointments  as  instructors  in  the  new  school.  Makart 
was  "one  of  them,  and  from  that  time  till  his  death  in  1SS4  he  was 
prominently  connected  with  Austrian  art,  and  was  the  idol  of  his  art- 
loving  countrymen.  His  first  picture  to  become  famous  was  '  A  Sleep- 
ino-  Horseman  Embraced  by  a  Nymph,'  and  his  fame  was  increased  by 


HANS  MAKART'S   WORK. 


447 


a  painting  that  appeared  soon  afterwards,  entitled  '  Modern  Flirtations.' 
Among  his  later  works  were  '  Leda  and  the  Swan,'  '  The  Plague  of 
Florence,'  and  '  The  Entry  of  Charles  V.  into  Antwerp.'  He  was  only 
forty-four  years  old  when  he  died,  and  had  already  established  a  greater 
fame  than  many  an  artist  obtains  at  sixty. 

'•  Makart's  figures  are  admirably  drawn,"  Frank  continued,  "  and  all 
the  artists  say  that  his  coloring  is  fully  equal  to  his  drawing.  He  spent 
some  time  in  Egypt  and  other  parts  of  the  East,  and  many  of  his  pict- 
ures were  made  from  Oriental  subjects.  One  of  his  paintings  is  en- 
titled '  Fellah  Women  at  the  Fountain.'  It  represents  two  Egyptian 
women  at  a  fountain — one  of  them  with  a  jar  of  water  on  her  head, 
and  the  other  just  preparing  to  fill  her  jar,  and  pausing  to  look  at  some- 
thing which  is  not  shown  in  the  picture.  The  full  face  of  the  first  one 
is  presented  to  the  spectator.  She  holds  a  child  with  one  arm,  while  the 
other  is  occupied  with  the  support  of  the  jar.  The  second  woman's 
face  is  in  profile,  and  shows  the  large,  lustrous  eye  for  which  the  Egyp- 
tian women  are  noted.  The  dress  is  thoroughly  characteristic,  and  as 
■we  looked  at  the  picture  Fred  and 
I  could  easily  imagine  we  were 
again  in  Cairo,  or  along  the  Nile, 
at  one  of  the  thousand  points  where 
scenes  like  this  abound.  Mamma 
and  Man'  could  not  share  our  feel- 
ings, as  they  have  never  been  in 
Egypt,  but  they  were  charmed  with 
the  painting,  and  eagerly  asked 
where  they  could  see  more  of  the 
work  of  Hans  Makart." 

"  How  many  art   students   are      II 
there    in    Munich  ?"  queried   Mrs.     g- 
Bassett,    as   Frank    paused,    after 
reading   the  foregoing   sketch    of       | 


some  of  the  famous  artists  of  the 
Bavarian  capital. 

"  I  am  told  that  there  are  more 
than  two  thousand  of  them,"  re- 
plied Fred,  ''and  one  gentleman 
said  he  thought  that  there  were  nearly,  if  not  quite,  three  thousand." 

"  They  are  of  all  nationalities,  and  of  all  sorts  and  conditions,"  said 
Fred,  "  from  rich  men  with  talent,  or  without  it,  down  to  artists  who 


GABRIEL    MAX. 


448        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

are  poor  in  every  sense  of  the  word.  Some  of  them  spend  a  great  deal 
of  money,  while  others  live  on  'next  to  nothing,'  for  the  simple  reason 
that  it  is  all  they  have  to  eke  out  existence  with.  Some  of  them  dress 
like  dandies,  others  are  in  every-day  garb  that   does  not  distinguish 

them  from  ordinary  citizens,  and 
others  again  wear  their  hair  long, 
dress  shabbily,  and  adorn  their 
heads  with  slouch  hats  that  sug- 
gest the  Western  cowboy. 

'•  1  have  heard  of  a  great  ball 
that  the  artists  gave  a  year  or  two 
a^o  in  the  opera-house  at  the  time 
of  the  carnival.  They  give  these 
balls  occasionally,  and  those  who 
can  afford  to  do  so  spend  a  great 
deal  of  money  in  getting  up  their 
costumes  and  in  decorating  the 
opera-house  for  the  occasion." 

"  How  do  they  manage  to  spend 
so   much    money   on   costumes  ?" 
Mrs.  Bassett  asked.     "  They  have 
their  dress-suits,  and  even  if  they 
buy  new  ones  for  every  ball,  they  wouldn't  cost  a  great  deal." 

"••Modern  dress  was  not  allowed,  except  in  the  part  of  the  house  al- 
lotted to  spectators,*'  Fred  explained.  «  On  the  floor  all  of  the  costumes 
were  of  the  thirteenth  or  fourteenth  centuries,  and  some  of  them  are 
said  to  have  cost  more  than  §1000  each.  The  managers  were  busy  over 
the  affair  for  ten  or  twelve  weeks  before  the  great  ball  came  off.  and 
everything  was  arranged  with  the  most  scrupulous  care.  The  son  of 
Kauibach.  the  great  artist,  came  as  Charles  V..  and  on  his  arm  was  a 
lady  who  represented  the  Queen  in  her  robes  of  state.  Then  there  was 
one"  of  the  artists  who  represented  a  Turkish  ambassador,  and  had  a 
retinue  of  forty  persons,  all  attired  in  rich  Turkish  dress  of  the  era  rep- 
resented. Some  of  the  costumes  actually  belonged  to  the  centuries  I 
have  mentioned,  but  of  course  the  greater  part  of  them  were  made  for 
the  occasion  by  the  best  costumers  of  the  world.  The  Turkish  dresses 
were  obtained  from  Constantinople,  and  the  order  for  them  was  given 
more  than  six  months  before  the  ball  came  off." 

"  It  couldn't  have  been  a  poor  struggling  artist  who  went  to  that 
ball  as  the  Turkish  ambassador,''  said  Mrs.  Bassett. 


HANS    MAKAKT. 


GREAT   BALL   OF   THE   ARTISTS. 


449 


"No,  indeed !"  exclaimed  Alary.  "  If  he  wasn't  a  real  Turk  he  must 
have  been  as  rich  as  one,  or  had  good  credit." 

Other  comments  were  made  concerning  the  great  ball  of  the  artists 
and  the  life  of  the  art  students  of  Munich,  and  then  our  friends  decided 


"FELLAH    WOMEN    AT    THE    FOUNTAIN." — [Makait.J 


23 


450        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

that  they  would  take  a  drive  to  the  Ruhmeshalle,  or  Hall  of  Fame, 
which  lies  outside  the  city,  a  mile  and  more  beyond  tlie  Carlsthor.  The 
principal  attraction  there  is  the  colossal  statue  of  "  Bavaria,"  suggestive, 
on  account  of  its  size,  of  the  statue  of  "Liberty  Enlightening  the  World," 
so  well  known  to  every  resident  of  New  York  in  the  past  few  years. 

"The  statue  of  'Bavaria,'"  said  Mary,  "is  sixty-nine  feet  high  from 
the  sole  of  the  foot  to  the  top  of  the  wreath  which  the  figure  holds 
aloft.  Including  the  pedestal,  it  is  about  one  hundred  feet  from  the 
ground  to  the  top  of  the  figure.  The  weight  of  the  statue  is  230,000 
pounds — at  least,  that's  what  the  books  say.  You  may  be  sure  I  haven't 
weighed  it  for  myself,  nor  do  I  intend  to. 

"  Frank  and  Fred  climbed  to  the  top  of  the  statue  by  means  of  a 
stairway  inside  the  figure,  wdiile  mamma  and  I  visited  the  Hall  of  Fame, 
which  is  just  behind  the  '  Bavaria.'  "When  they  came  down  the}'  said 
we  had  done  wisely  in  staying  below,  as  the  head  of  the  statue  was  like 
an  oven,  and  they  were  crowded  into  it  with  others,  so  that  it  was  diffi- 
cult to  breathe.  They  looked  out  through  the  eyes  of  the  figure,  and 
had  a  good  view  of  Munich  and  the  mountains,  but  as  they  had  seen  the 
mountains  from  a  great  many  directions  and  distances  they  did  not  find 
much  novelty  in  this  part  of  the  sight.  As  for  the  city,  they  had  already 
seen  it  from  commanding  points,  and,  altogether,  their  visit  to  the  head 
of  the  great  bronze  was  disappointing." 

We  will  add  to  Mary's  account  that  the  statue  was  designed  by 
Schwanthaler,  a  native  of  Munich,  where  he  was  born  in  1802.  He  ex- 
ecuted a  great  many  busts  and  statues  of  famous  people  during  his  ca- 
reer as  a  sculptor,  the  most  noted  being  those  of  Goethe,  Jean  Paul 
Richter,  and  the  Emperor  Rudolph. 

"  The  Hall  of  Fame,"  continued  Mary,  "  contains  busts  and  statues 
of  men  who  have  been  famous  in  Bavaria,  some  in  art,  some  in  com- 
merce and  manufactures,  and  some  in  military,  princely,  or  other  titled 
life.  Poets  and  philosophers  are  also  among  the  great  men.  and  alto- 
gether the  collection  is  a  distinguished  one. 

"  It  seems  to  me,"  said  Mary,  as  she  warmed  with  her  subject,  "  that 
the  Hall  of  Fame  would  be  much  more  conspicuous  than  it  is  if  there 
were  not  so  many  statues  and  monuments  scattered  all  through  Munich, 
as  we  have  seen  since  we  came  here.  There  are  twenty  '  squares,'  and 
I  don't  know  how  many  streets ;  every  square  has  its  statues  or  mon- 
uments, and  there  are  statues  and  monuments  on  some  of  the  corners 
where  there  are  no  squares  at  all.  There  are  statues  in  the  parks, 
statues  in  front  of  most  of  the  public  buildings,  and  as  for  the  interior 


THE  HALL  OF  FAME. 


451 


of  those  buildings,  it  would  be  difficult  to  find  one  of  them  without  one 
or  more  ornaments  of  this  sort.  Of  course  there  are  statues  in  the 
churches,  and  some  of  them  in  the  very  highest  style  of  art,  and  thus  it 


PART    OF    TOMB    OP    LOUIS    THE    BAVARIAN. 


comes  about  that  we  found  ourselves  somewhat  surfeited  with  statuary 
before  we  came  to  the  Hall  of  Fame." 

As  a  matter  of  course,  our  friends  did  not  fail  to  visit  the  principal 
churches  of  Munich,  some  of  which  contain  statues  and  paintings  of  the 
highest  class  and  of  great  antiquity.  In  the  Frauenkirche,  or  Church  of 
Our  Lady,  is  the  celebrated  monument  to  the  memory  of  Emperor 
Louis,  the  Bavarian.  In  some  of  its  peculiarities  it  reminded  Mrs.  Bas- 
sett  of  the  monument  that  attracted  their  attention  at  Innsbruck,  and 
she  eagerly  asked  if  it  was  by  the  same  sculptor. 

Frank  explained  that  it  was  not  the  work  of  any  one  sculptor,  and 


452 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


that  the  carvings  and  bronzes  were  of  different  epochs.  The  tomb 
consists  of  a  catafalque  in  the  nave  of  the  church,  with  four  knights  in 
armor  guarding  the  corners ;  at  the  sides  are  statues  of  two  Wittelbach 
princes,  Albert  V.  and  William  V.,  and  there  are  some  admirable  reliefs 
on  the  sides  of  the  tomb.  Emperor  Louis  died  in  134-7,  and  the  mon- 
ument to  his  memory  was  erected  nearly  three  hundred  years  later  by 
the  Elector,  Maximilian  I.,  who  spent  much  money  upon  it. 

In  the  Ludwigskirche,  a  church  of  modern  construction,  the  travellers 
had  an  opportunity  of  seeing  several  statues  by  Schwanthaler  and  other 
sculptors  of  Munich,  and  also  of  looking  at  the  famous  fresco  by  Cor- 
nelius— "  The  Last  Judgment."     It  is  a  large  picture,  sixty-six  feet  by 
forty,  and  contains  a  great  number  of  figures. 
Frank  and  Fred  agreed  that  it  could  not  be  ad- 
equately described  in  words,  and  therefore  they 
did  not  venture   on   a  description.     They   had 
been  warned  to  see  this  picture  only  in  the  mid- 
dle of  a  bright  day,  as  the  light  in  the  church  is 
not  at  all  good,  and  therefore  the  fresco  does  not 
show  to   advantage  when  the   sky  is  obscured 
by  clouds  or  in   the  dim  light   of  morning  or 
afternoon,  especially  in  winter. 

"  We  must  not  miss  the  National  Museum," 
said  Mrs.  Bassett,  as  they  were  leaving  one  of 
the  churches  they  had  just  visited. 

"  We  are  certainly  ffoine:  there,"  said  Mary, 
"as  I  heard  Frank  say  we  were.  lie  remarked 
that  the  museum  contained  objects  of  art  of 
every  kind,  from  the  days  of  the  Greeks  and 
Eomans  down  to  our  own.  He  further  said  that 
every  country,  or  nearly  every  country,  in  the 
civilized  world  was  represented  in  the  museum, 
special  prominence  being  naturally  given  to  Ba- 
varia and  to  the  city  of  Munich." 

"  It  would  not  be  patriotic  to  have  the  col- 
lection made  otherwise,"  was  the  reply. 

"  Yes."  said  Fred,  who  overheard  the  remarks 
of  his  aunt  and  cousin,  "  these  museums  are  ar- 
ranged very  like  the  world's  fairs  of  the  latter 
half  of  the  present  century.    The  country  in  which  the  fair  is  held  takes 
rather  more  than  half  of  the  space  for  itself,  and  puts  the  rest  of  the 


ANCIENT     WOOD -CARVING     IN 
MUNICH    MUSEUM. 


NATIONAL  MUSEUM. 


453 


HS^PP 


BROOCH    OF    THE    EIGHTH    CESTCRY. 


entire  globe  in  what  remains.  But  there  is  this  difference  between  a 
world's  fair  and  a  national  museum  :  the  fair  is  devoted  to  existing 
peoples  and  nationalities,  while  the  museum  has  its  principal  interest  in 
people  that  have  passed  away.  JSTot  infrequently  there  is  more  from 
ancient  Egypt,  Greece,  and  Rome 
than  from  the  more  modern  parts 
of  the  world." 

What  our  friends  saw  in  the 
museum  would  require  a  great  deal 
of  space  to  tell.  The  contents  of 
the  museum  are  divided  into  two 
principal  groups,  the  first  being  a 
general  chronological  collection  of 
the  products  of  human  industry 
for  the  last  two  thousand  years. 
The  second  group  consists  of  spe- 
cial collections  illustrating  special 
departments  of  industry  or  art,  and 
too  extensive  to  be  included  in  the 
general  collection  just  mentioned. 

There  were  carvings  in  wood,  ivory,  bone,  and  other  substances — some 
of  them  of  great  antiquity.  Among  them  was  a  brooch  which  dated  from 
the  eighth  century,  and  was  covered  with  a  curious  arrangement  of  braids 
and  knots  that  must  have  tested  very  severely  the  patience  of  the  hand 
that  made  it.  Many  of  the  wood-carvings  showed  that  the  art  of  work- 
ing in  wood  had  reached  a  state  of  great  perfection  a  thousand  years 
ago,  and  Mary  suggested  that  some  of  the  carvers  of  the  present  day 
might  learn  something  from  their  ancestors. 

There  is  an  admirable  collection  of  manuscript  books,  some  of  them 
the  property  of  royal  and  imperial  personages  of  the  centuries  before 
the  invention  of  the  art  of  printing.  One  of  these  is  a  missal  whicli 
belonged  to  the  Emperor  Henry  II.,  who  was  crowned  at  Mayence  in 
a.d.  1002,  and  died  in  1024,  leaving  the  throne  to  Conrad  II.  The  missal 
was  made  for  him  a  few  years  after  his  coronation,  and  is  remarkable 
for  the  excellence  of  its  illuminations.  One  of  these,  the  first  dedicatory 
picture,  represents  the  King  standing  and  receiving  his  crown  from 
Christ,  and  his  sword  and  staff  of  the  cross  from  two  angels,  while  his 
arms  are  supported  by  the  patron  saints  of  Augsburg  and  Ratisbon. 

"  We  saw  in  the  museum,"  said  Fred,  "  many  relics  of  the  rulers  of 
Bavaria,  and  they  roused  our  curiosity  to  know  more  about  those  per- 


454 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


sonages  than  we  had  yet  ascertained.  When  we  had  the  time  to  devote 
to  the  subject  we  looked  it  up,  and  found  that  Bavaria  formed  one  of 
the  provinces  of  the  Roman  empire,  and  after  the  fall  of  that  empire 
the  people  were  governed  by  their  own  dukes  until  the  year  630,  when 
the  country  was  incorporated  into  the  Frankish  kingdom,  and  embraced 
Christianity.  There  were  several  changes  of  sovereigns  and  a  good  deal 
of  warfare  in  the  succeeding  lire  hundred  years,  which  need  not  be 
described  in  detail.  In  1180  the  Count  Otto  von  Wittelsbach  became 
duke,  and  his  successors  have  ruled  the  country  down  to  the  present 
time.  One  of  them,  Louis  the  Bavarian,  was  Emperor  of  Germany  for 
thirty-three  years,  his  reign  beginning  in  1314,  and  another,  Maximilian, 

was  leader  of  the 
Catholic  League  in 
the  'Thirty  Years' 
War."  " 

"Does  Bavaria 
belong  to  Germany 
or  Austria  ?"  Mrs. 
Bassett  asked. 

"  It  is  a  part  of 
the  German  em- 
pire," replied  Frank. 
"  During  the  war  of 
1866  Bavaria  took 
sides  witli  Austria. 
The  disastrous  result 
of  the  war,  so  far 
as  Austria  was  con- 
cerned, was  extend- 
ed to  Bavaria,  which 
was  obliged  to  make 
a  separate  treaty  of 
peace  with  Prussia 
and  give  up  some  of 
its  territory." 

"What    did   Ba- 
varia do  in  the  war 
between  France  and 
Prussia  in  1870  I" 
missal  of  henry  ii.  Mary  asked.     "  Did 


BAVARIA   AND   THE   GERMAN  EMPIRE.  455 

it  make  the  same  mistake  again  of  siding  against  Prussia  and  get  into 
trouble  once  more  in  consequence?" 

'•  JNot  by  any  means,"  said  Frank.  "  Louis  Napoleon  had  counted 
upon  its  aid  in  his  behalf,  or,  at  all  events,  on  its  neutrality,  and  he 
was  sadly  disappointed.  Bavaria  promptly  made  an  alliance  with 
North  Germany,  and  placed  its  army  at  the  disposal  of  the  King  of 
Prussia.  The  Bavarian  troops  were  very  prominent  during  the  cam- 
paign and  performed  effective  service.  The  King  of  Bavaria  took  the 
first  steps  towards  the  formation  of  the  empire  of  Germany  by  urging 
the  King  of  Saxony  and  other  rulers  to  consolidate  the  German  States 
into  an  empire,  with  the  King  of  Prussia  at  its  head." 

"  Did  he  weaken  his  own  power  in  any  way  by  entering  the  em 
pire  ?"  was  the  question  which  naturally  followed  the  foregoing  state- 
ment about  the  imperial  consolidation. 

"  To  a  certain  extent  he  did,"  was  the  reply ;  "  but  less  so  than  you 
might  suppose.  The  constitution  of  the  country  is  practically  un- 
changed, the  King  preserves  his  royal  prerogatives  as  of  old,  the  country 
has  its  two  Houses  of  Parliament,  as  it  had  before  the  formation  of 
the  empire,  and  the  army  in  time  of  peace  is  entirely  under  the  King's 
control.  But  in  case  of  war  the  King  must  obey  the  commands  of  the 
Emperor,  and  the  troops  supplied  by  the  kingdom  must  be  in  the  same 
proportion  as  those  from  the  rest  of  the  empire.  During  peace  the 
forts  in  the  country  are  held  by  the  King,  but  in  war  they  are  the  prop- 
erty of  the  empire.  The  Bavarian  troops  have  their  own  uniform,  and 
the  troops  from  Bavaria  form  the  first  and  second  Bavarian  army  corps, 
and  are  not  numbered  consecutively,  like  the  army  corps  from  other 
parts  of  the  empire.  So  you  see  that  by  taking  sides  with  Prussia  in 
the  war  with  France,  Bavaria  preserved  her  integrity,  and  has  nothing 
to  complain  of  in  the  way  of  her  treatment  by  the  Emperor." 

"  That  reminds  me  of  some  words  which  Dickens  puts  into  the 
mouth  of  one  of  his  characters — I  think  it  was  Mr.  Weller,"  said  Fred. 

'•What  is  that?" 

"  '  Shout  with  the  mob,'  said  Mr.  Weller. 

"  '  But  what  if  there  are  two  mobs?' 

'l '  Shout  with  the  largest,'  Mr.  Weller  answered.  Volumes  could 
not  have  said  more." 

"  Evidently  the  King  of  Bavaria  had  read  the  Pickwick  Papers,  and 
heeded  the  advice  which  the}r  contained,"  Mary  remarked,  as  Fred 
paused,  after  giving  the  foregoing  quotation. 

Mrs.  Bassett  asked  about  the  religion  and  schools  of  Bavaria.    Frank 


450 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


ASTIyl'E    CHEST    AND    POTTERY. 


replied  that  more  than  seven-tenths  of  the  people  are  Catholics.  The 
remaining  three-tenths  are  Protestants,  with  the  exception  of  about 
50,000  Hebrews,  and  a  few  thousand  who  are  set  down  in  the  census  re- 
ports as  "of  various  denominations,"  or  none  at  all. 

"Instruction  is  universal,"  said  Frank,  "all  children  between  the 
ages  of  six  and  fourteen  being  obliged  to  attend  school,  unless  privately 
taught  at  home.  The  elementary  schools  {volksschulen)  are  in  all  the 
parishes  of  Bavaria.  Then  there  are  lyceums  and  other  schools  of  a 
higher  grade,  and  above  these  ages  again  are  polytechnic  schools  and 
universities.  There  are  three  universities,  two  of  them  Catholic  and 
one  Protestant.  The  University  of  Munich  (Catholic)  has  more  than 
one  hundred  professors  and  thirteen  hundred  students,  and  it  has  the 
reputation  of  being  one  of  the  best  universities  in  Germany,  if  not  the 
best  of  all  in  the  whole  empire. 

"I  must  not  forget  the  trade-schools."  continued  Frank,  "which  are 
established  in  many  of  the  parishes  and  communes.  Those  who  attend 
these  schools  are  instructed  in  trades  of  various  kinds,  and  also  in  me- 
chanics, mathematics,  chemistry,  drawing,  and  architecture.  A  full 
course  at  a  trade- school  fits  a  student  for  admission  to  a  polytechnic 


TRADE  AND  TECHNICAL   SCHOOLS. 


457 


school.  The  course  is  three  jyears  in  the  trade-school  and  three  in  the 
polytechnic,  with  one  year  more  for  those  who  intend  to  be  engineers." 

There  was  further  talk  about  the  schools  of  Bavaria,  and  then  Mary 
asked  what  there  was  in  Munich  beyond  what  they  had  already  seen. 

"There  are  various  industries  here,''  said  Frank,  "such  as  the  manu- 
facture of  optical,  technological,  and  other  instruments,  machinery, 
clocks,  leather  goods,  porcelain,  glass,  and  other  things.  Then  there  is 
a  bronze  foundery,  Avhich  is  under  Government  patronage,  and  one  of  the 
finest  in  the  world.  The  doors  of  the  Capitol  at  Washington,  Craw- 
ford's statues  of  Washington  and  Beethoven,  and  other  famous  works  of 
art  were  cast  here,  together  with  many  others  that  I  cannot  now  re- 
member. But  there  is  one  industry  which  may  be  said  to  surpass  all 
others,  and  for  which  Munich  is  cprite  as  famous  as  for  its  art." 

"  What  is  that  ¥'  Mrs.  Bassett  asked. 

"  Brewing,"  was  the  reply.  "  Art  and  beer  go  hand  in  hand  in  this 
city.  The  artists  drink  beer  as  assiduously  as  they  use  their  brushes, 
and  many  of  them  have  a  better  knowledge  of  malt  liquors  than  of  the 
pigments  which  are  so  essential  to  their  work.     The  beer  of  Munich  is 


A    FERMENTING    CELLAR. 


458       THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

exported  to  all  parts  of  the  world,  and  it  is  a  favorite  with  beer-drinkers 
everywhere.  The  local  consumption  is  very  great,  as  each  one  of  the 
nearly  two  hundred  thousand  inhabitants  is  supposed  to  imbibe  several, 
or  many,  pints  of  the  beverage  daily." 

On  the  subject  of  beer  in  Munich,  Fred  made  note  of  a  curious  es- 
tablishment that  he  heard  of.     Here  it  is : 

"  Not  far  from  the  Four  Seasons  Hotel  there  is,  so  I  am  told,  the 
Ilofbrauhaus,  which  is  a  very  ancient  resort  for  drinking  beer.  The 
peculiarity  of  the  place  is  that  every  man  who  goes  there  is  his  own 
waiter,  there  being  no  attendants  to  serve  customers.  Everybody  must 
wait  upon  himself,  without  regard  to  his  rank. 

"  This  is  the  way  it  is  done :  A  customer  goes  to  a  shelf  close  to 
where  the  beer  is  drawn  and  takes  from  it  a  mug — any  one  he  chooses 
to  take  from  the  large  number  there.  Each  mug  has  a  number  upon  it, 
and  he  observes  the  number  on  the  one  he  takes.  It  has  been  rinsed 
before  being  placed  on  the  shelf,  but  he  may  rinse  it  again  if  he  chooses 
to  do  so,  at  a  trough  into  which  a  stream  of  water  is  pouring. 

"  Next  he  takes  his  place  in  line  with  others,  as  he  would  at  the 
window  of  a  post-office.  This  line  reaches  to  where  a  man  is  filling 
the  mugs  as  they  are  presented,  and  as  each  mug  is  handed  in  the 
price  of  the  beer  is  paid  to  an  attendant.  Then  the  customer  walks 
off  to  a  table  with  his  mug  of  beer,  which  he  drinks  at  leisure.  When 
he  wants  more  beer,  as  most  Bavarians  do,  he  must  go  himself  to  the 
beer -drawer  and  have  his  mug  refilled.  The  only  attendants  of  the 
place  are  two  or  three  men,  who  come  around  occasionally  to  gather  up 
the  empty  and  abandoned  mugs,  and  carry  them  to  the  trough  for 
rinsing  and  replacing  on  the  shelf,  where  customers  find  them. 

"  The  princes  of  the  royal  family  and  other  great  personages  go 
there  to  drink  beer,  and  they  do  exactly  like  other  people — take  their 
mugs  from  the  shelf  and  wait  upon  themselves,  as  if  such  a  thing  as 
royalty  or  nobility  had  never  been  heard  of.  The  Ilofbrauhaus  is  liber- 
ally patronized — partly  on  account  of  its  quaint  ways,  but  more  espe- 
cially owing  to  the  excellence  of  its  beer." 


VISIT  TO    SALZBURG. 


459 


CHAPTER  XXYI. 

FROM  MUNICH  TO  SALZBURG.  — SHORT  HISTORICAL  NOTE.— THE  BIRTHPLACE  OF 
MOZART;  ANECDOTES  OF  THE  GREAT  COMPOSER;  THE  MOZART  MUSEUM;  THE 
MUSICIAN'S  FIRST  PERFORMANCES ;  HIS  REQUIEM  MASS.— THE  MONCHSBERG  AND 
KAPt'ZINERBERG.—  FORTRESS  OF  HOHEX-SALZBURG  — EXCURSION*  TO  BERCH- 
TESGADEX  AXD  THE  KOXIGS-SEE— A  RIDE  OX  THE  LAKE.— THE  FAMOUS  ECHO. 
—A  BREAKFAST  UPON  TROUT  FROM  THE  LAKE.— FISH  STORIES.— VISIT  TO  THE 
SALT-MIXES.  — OUR  FRIEN'DS  IX  MINING  COSTUME.—  DOWN  "THE  SLIDES."— 
POOLS  IX  THE  MOUNTAIN.  — A  WALK  THROUGH  THE  GALLERIES.  — RIDIXG  OX 
THE  TRAMWAY— A  SUBTERRANEAN  ILLUMINATION.— REICHEXHALL  AND  ITS 
"  CURES."— THE  GAISBERG  AND  HELLBRUNN. 


IT  was  decided  that  the  party 
of  travellers  would  go  from 
Munich  to  Salzburg  when  their  in- 
spection of  the  former  city  had 
been  completed.  In  this  arrange- 
ment Doctor  Bronson  fully  con- 
curred, but  said  he  would  continue 
in  the  train  to  Vienna,  as  his  aid 
would  not  be  needed  on  the  way, 
and  he  would  await  the  others  at 
the  Austrian  capital. 

Mrs.  Bassett  wanted  to  visit 
Salzburg  because  she  had  read  that 
Mozart,  the  great  musician,  was 
born  there,  and  she  wished  to  see 
the  house  which  had  the  honor  of 
being  his  birthplace.  Mary  de- 
sired to  stop  at  Salzburg,  as  the 
place  is  very  picturesquely  situ- 
ated, and,  besides,  there  are  some 
salt-mines  close  at  hand  which 
she  thought  would  be  interesting. 


COSTrilES    OF  THE    SALT-MINE. 


400        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

Frank  and  Fred  wanted  to  stop  there  because  they  knew  that  it  would 
please  Mrs.  Bassett  and  Mary  to  do  so. 

The  distance  from  Munich  to  Salzburg  is  a  little  less  than  one  hun- 
dred miles,  and  the  train  carried  the  party  to  its  destination  in  three 
and  a  half  hours.  The  travellers  passed  through  a  picturesque  region, 
and  so  busy  were  our  friends  in  studying  the  scenery  that  they  reached 
Salzburg  when  Mary  thought  they  were  little  more  than  half-way  there. 

"I  was  right  in  what  I  had  heard,"  wrote  Mary  in  her  journal,  "that 
Salzburg  is  very  picturesquely  situated.  It  is  on  a  small  stream,  the 
Salzach,  and  is  crowded  in  between  two  hills  or  mountains,  the  Monchs- 
berg  on  the  left  bank  of  the  river  and  the  Kapuzinerberg  on  the  right 
bank.  The  names  of  these  hills  made  me  think  that  the  town  had  an 
ecclesiastical  character  in  ages  gone  by,  and  sure  enough  that  was  the 
case.     Here  is  a  little  historical  note  on  the  subject : 

" '  Salzburg  was  founded  by  the  Romans.  They  called  it  .Tuvavum, 
and  under  their  rule  it  was  a  flourishing  town.  After  the  establishment 
of  Christianity  it  became  a  powerful  seat  of  the  new  religion,  and  at 
one  time  it  was  the  capital  of  the  richest  and  strongest  ecclesiastical 
principality  in  South  Germany.  In  the  seventeenth  and  eighteenth 
centuries  the  archbishops  erected  the  splendid  buildings  which  remain 
at  this  day  to  attest  the  wealth  and  power  of  their  builders.' 

"  The  Kapuzinerberg  is  so  called  because  it  is  the  site  of  the  exten- 
sive Capucine  Monastery ;  the  Monchsberg  is  the  site  of  another  mon- 
astery ;  the  Nonnberg  is  so  called  from  the  Ursuline  Convent  that  is 
situated  upon  it;  and  there  are  other  places  in  the  neighborhood  that 
indicate  the  former  ownership  to  have  been  of  an  ecclesiastical  charac- 
ter. Salzburg  (the  district  or  province)  was  secularized — in  other  words, 
it  was  shorn  of  its  religious  power — in  1S02.  and  converted  into  a  tem- 
poral electorate  like  the  other  electorates  of  Germany. 

"  Frank  says  they  had  a  stormy  time  while  the  province  of  Salzburg 
was  an  archiepiscopal  see,  from  a.d.  798  till  180:2,  as  the  archbishops 
were  almost  always  at  odds  with  their  neighbors,  the  emperors  and 
princes  of  Germany,  and  with  their  own  subjects  at  the  same  time.  In 
1498  the  archbishop  expelled  the  Jews  and  everybody  else  who  were 
considered  doubtful  in  loyalty;  and  in  1731  all  the  Protestants  in  the 
province — and  there  were  nearly  twenty  thousand  of  them — were  driven 
out  and  found  refuge  in  East  Prussia.  After  the  secularization,  Salzburg 
was  given  to  the  Grand-duke  of  Tuscany ;  then  it  became  the  property 
of  Austria;  then  Napoleon  obtained  it  through  the  peace  of  1809,  and 
gave  it  to  Bavaria,  which  five  years  later  gave  it  to  Austria.     Thus  it 


BIRTHPLACE   OF  MOZART. 


461 


had  five  different  ownerships  in  twelve  years,  and  the  people  must  have 
been  puzzled  to  know  exactly  what  they  were  in  the  way  of  nationality. 

"  So  much  for  history,  and  now  for  the  things  of  the  present  day. 
The  town  has  perhaps  25,000  inhabitants,  and  it  contains  a  fine  palace, 
which  they  call  the  Residenz  Schloss ;  and  close  to  it  there  is  a  very  hand- 
some cathedral.  We  didn't  see  anything  of  the  palace  except  the  outside, 
and  we  didn't  spend  much  time  in  the  cathedral,  which  deserved  more 
attention  than  we  gave  it.  The  fact  is,  mamma  was  in  a  hurry  to  get 
to  the  house  where  Mozart  was  born,  which  is  in  a  side  street,  only  a 
little  way  from  the  Eesidenz  Platz,  or  Palace  Square. 

"  But  before  we  went  to  the  house  we  looked  at  the  monument  to 
Mozart,  which  is  in  the  Mozart  Platz,  just  east  of  the  Eesidenz  Platz. 
His  statue  by  Schwanthaler,  the  sculptor  who  made  the  colossal  '  Bava- 
ria,' is  the  principal  feature  of  the  monument,  and  the  likeness  is  said  to 
be  excellent.  And, 
by- the- way,  any 
traveller  who  comes 
here  not  knowing 
that  Mozart  was 
born  at  Salzburg  will 
find  it  out  before  he 
has  been  an  hour  in 
the  city.  The  house 
and  monument  are 
the  first  things  that 
are  called  to  his  at- 
tention, and  he  sees 
Mozart  souvenirs  in 
all  the  shops.  Fred 
says  he  wouldn't  be 
surprised  to  find  the 
hatters  selling  Mo- 
zart hats,  the  tailors  offering  to  fit  a  customer  with  a  Mozart  cloak  or 
coat,  and  the  boot-makers  recommending  Mozart  boots.  There  are  Mo- 
zart pens  and  pen-holders,  paper  stamped  with  Mozart's  portrait,  and  as 
for  his  compositions,  they  are  offered  to  you  in  every  music -store,  so  I 
am  told.     A  poultry  dealer  is  said  to  have  Mozart's  hens. 

"The  house  where  the  great  composer  was  born  (in  the  year  1756) 
is  at  Xo.  7  Getreidegasse — please  remember  it,  so  that  when  you  come 
here  you'll  know  the  place.     It  is  not  a  remarkable  house,  and  the 


CLOISTER    OF   THE    NONXBERG. 


•4G2  THE  BOY   TRAVELLERS   IX   CENTRAL   EUROPE. 

most  interesting  thing  about  it  is  the  Mozart  Museum  on  the  third  floor. 
They  have  the  veritable  piano  on  which  Mozart  played  ;  they  have  some 
of  his  clothing,  the  pens  with  which  he  wrote,  some  of  the  manuscripts 
of  his  compositions,  a  violin  and  other  musical  instruments  that  belonged 
to  him,  and  also  some  portraits  that  were  painted  during  his  lifetime, 
and  are  said  to  be  authentic,  though  not  greatly  alike. 

'•  It  is  said  of  Mozart  that  he  learned  passages  from  his  sister's  music- 
lessons  when  he  was  only  three  years  old.  "When  he  was  four  years  old 
his  father,  who  was  a  musician  of  considerable  celebrity,  began  to  give 
him  lessons  on  the  harpsichord  ;  and  when  he  was  five  years  old  he  com- 
posed simple  melodies  with  correct  harmonies,  which  his  father  wrote 
out.  When  he  was  six  years  old  his  father  took  the  boy  and  his  sister, 
then  aged  eleven,  to  Munich,  where  they  played  before  the  Elector,  to 
the  great  astonishment  of  that  individual ;  and  in  the  same  year  the 
party  visited  Munich,  ami  appeared  before  the  court  with  great  success. 

"  To  show  wdiat  a  fine  ear  Mozart  had  for  music,  they  tell  a  story 
which  is  related  by  Schachtner,  one  of  the  Austrian  musicians  at  the 
time  of  his  visit  to  Vienna.  The  boy,  who  was  known  by  his  middle 
name  of  "Wolfgang,  was  playing  his  own  violin,  and  remarked : 

"  •  Your  violin  is  tuned  half  a  quarter  of  a  note  lower  than  mine,  if 
you  have  left  it  as  it  was  when  I  last  played  it.' 

"  Schachtner  sent  for  his  violin,  and  when  it  was  brought  it  was 
found  to  be  exactly  as  the  little  six-vear-old  Wolfgang  had  said.  Xo 
wonder  he  became  the  great  musician  that  the  whole  world  now  knows 
about  and  holds  in  such  high  esteem. 

"  Here  is  an  extract  from  the  advertisement  of  their  concert  in 
Frankfort  in  1763,  after  performances  had  been  given  in  Paris.  London, 
and  other  cities  of  England  and  the  Continent : 

" '  The  girl,  now  in  her  twelfth,  and  the  boy,  in  his  eighth  year,  will 
not  only  play  concertos  upon  the  harpsichord,  but  the  boy  will  also  per- 
form a  concerto  upon  a  violin,  accompany  in  symphonies  upon  the  harp- 
sichord, cover  the  keys  with  a  cloth  and  play  as  well  as  if  they  were  in 
sight,  anil  also  designate  any  note  or  chord  struck  at  a  distance,  whether 
upon  a  harpsichord  or  any  other  instrument,  or  upon  bells,  glasses,  mu- 
sical clocks,  etc.  Finally,  he  will  extemporize  not  only  upon  the  harpsi- 
chord, but  upon  the  organ,  so  long  as  any  one  desires,  in  all.  even  the 
most  difficult  keys  that  can  be  proposed,  and  thus  prove  that  he  under- 
stands the  organ,  which  is  totally  different  from  the  harpsichord  in  its 
treatment.' 

"  The  next  time  I  listen  to  '  Don  Giovanni '  or  to  '  The  Made  Flute  ' 


MOZART'S  REQUIEM  MASS. 


463 


I  shall  enjoy  it  more  than  ever  before,  when  I  remember  it  was  com- 
posed by  Mozart.  I  have  just  been  reading  a  sketch  of  his  life,  and  was 
especially  touched  by  the  circumstance  that  Mozart's  Eequiem  Mass 
was  written  in  the  last  days  of  his  life  and  while  he  was  very  ill.  A 
mysterious  stranger 
had  asked  him  to 
write  it,  and  paid  him 
part  of  the  price  in 
advance;  the  com- 
poser was  seriously  ill 
at  the  time  and  never 
recovered,  and  he 
seemed  to  feel  while 
at  work  upon  the  re- 
quiem that  he  was 
writing  it  for  his  own 
funeral.  His  last  work 
upon  it  was  done  only 
a  few  hours  before  his 
death,  which  occurred 
at  Vienna  in  1791." 

On  the  south-east 
point  of  the  Monchs- 
berg  is  the  fortress 
of  Ilohen  Salzburg, 
which  commands  the 
city  either  for  its  pro- 
tection or  its  destruc- 
tion. Our  friends  vis- 
ited the  fortress  by  a 
winding  road,  and 

were  well  repaid  for  their  trouble  by  the  fine  view  they  had  from  the 
topmost  tower,  which  embraced  a  considerable  extent  of  the  country. 
They  were  also  interested  in  the  inspection  of  the  fortress,  or  such  parts 
as  they  were  permitted  to  see,  as  the  structure  is  a  very  old  one  and 
antedates  the  invention  of  gunpowder.  According  to  the  histories  the 
fortifications  were  begun  in  the  ninth  century,  and  have  been  enlarged 
at  different  epochs.  The  principal  part  of  the  fortress  as  it  stands  at 
present  belongs  to  the  fifteenth  and  sixteenth  centuries. 

"  Some  of  the  rooms  in  the  fortress  have  been  restored  in  the  old 


JOHANNES    WOLFGANG    AMADECS    JIOZART. 


464 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


style,''  said  Fred,  ''and  are  very  interesting.  They  contain  ancient  fur- 
niture to  delight  the  heart  of  a  curiosity  hunter,  and  there  are  several 
pieces  that  we  wished  we  could  buy  and  send  home  to  America.  That 
the  weather  is  cold  here  in  winter  is  shown  by  the  stoves  scattered 
through  the  castle,  the  finest  of  them  being  a  stove  of  Gothic  style  dat- 
ing from  the  year  1501.  Some  of  the  ancient  stoves  are  almost  exactly 
of  the  pattern  used  to-day,  showing  that  though  the  fashions  of  gar- 
ments may  change,  that  of  stoves  remains  very  much  the  same. 

L-  The  fortress  is  much  larger  than  we  expected  to  find  it.  I  don't 
know  its  dimensions,  but  you  can  realize  its  greatness  when  I  tell  you 
that  there  is  in  its  court-yard  a  good-sized  church  that  was  built  in  1502. 
It  is  a  very  well-built  church,  and  contains  some  fine  work  in  red  marble. 

Among  other  things 
there  are  statues  of 
the  Twelve  Apostles  in 
that  material,  and  they 
are  all  well  made  and 
very  effective. 

"We  found  enough 
in  Salzburg  and  imme- 
diately around  it  to 
keep  us  occupied  for 
the  day,  and  when  we 
went  to  bed  at  night  we 
were  all  tired  enough 
to  sleep  well.  AVe  re- 
tired early,  as  we  in- 
tended to  be  up  in 
good  season,  in  order 
to  make  an  excursion 
to  the  salt-mines,  six- 
teen miles  away." 

Frank  was  the  ap- 
pointed historian  of  the 
excursion  to  the  salt- 
mines, and  we  will  list- 
en to  his  story  of  what 
they  saw  and  did. 
■•  AVe  started  at  six 
imn  germax  stove.  in  the  morning."  said 


VISIT  TO  THE   SALT-MINES.  465 

Frank, "  hiring,  the  night  before,  a  carriage  with  a  good  team,  as  the 
journey  is  a  long  one  and  by  no  means  easy.  For  those  who  do  not 
wish  to  hire  a  carriage  there  is  a  tramway  and  omnibus  line  to  the  salt- 
mines and  the  Konigs-See,  which  is  one  of  the  sights  of  the  excursion. 
The  road  is  good,  but  here  and  there  it  is  hilly,  so  that  the  horses  must 
walk  more  frequently  than  is  agreeable  to  a  traveller  who  is  in  a  hurry. 

"  We  followed  the  valley  of  the  Salzach — the  stream  on  which  Salz- 
burg is  situated — for  several  miles,  and  then  turned  away  from  it  to 
ascend  the  valley  of  the  Aim.  In  the  valley  of  the  Salzach  the  ground 
was  comparatively  level,  but  that  of  the  Aim  had  a  good  deal  of  up 
and  down  hill,  the  uphill  predominating.  Eemember,  we  are  still  in 
the  Tyrol  now,  as  the  region  around  Salzburg  belongs  to  the  Tyrolean 
Alps,  and  you  cannot  imagine  a  Tyrol  without  hills  any  more  than  you 
can  think  of  a  '  Hamlet '  without  Hamlet. 

"  We  drove  directly  to  Berchtesgaden,  the  village  nearest  the  salt- 
mines, and  there  had  a  breakfast,  for  which  we  brought  excellent  ap- 
petites with  our  early  start  from  Salzburg.  We  had  telegraphed  to 
have  it  ready  on  our  arrival,  and  there  it  was.  One  of  the  items  which 
attracted  attention  and  taste  was  a  dish  of  trout,  fresh  from  the  Konicrs- 
See,  and  you  may  be  sure  we  gave  these  royal  fishes  their  fidl  meed  of 
praise,  both  by  word  and  deed.  We  had  not  expected  to  find  them 
here,  and  therefore  they  greeted  us  as  a  pleasant  surprise. 

"  Berchtesgaden  is  near  the  salt-mines — perhaps  I  should  say  that 
the  salt-mines  are  near  Berchtesgaden,  and  you  may  have  it  any  way 
you  choose.  It  is  also  near  the  Konigs-See,  which  we  came  to  see, 
and  to  which  we  drove  as  soon  as  breakfast  was  over.  The  village,  or 
town,  has  about  two  thousand  inhabitants,  is  in  the  narrow  valley  of  the 
Aim,  and  is  overlooked  by  the  Watzmann,  a  mountain  with  a  double 
peak  that  reminded  us  of  one  of  the  mountains  which  we  saw  from 
Innsbruck.  There  is  a  royal  chateau  here  which  was  once  an  abbey, 
whence  the  district  was  ruled  by  the  monks,  who  were  powerful  and 
rich.  At  any  rate,  that  was  the  case  with  the  abbey,  though  the  indi- 
vidual monks  were  doubtless  as  poor  as  they  are  reputed  to  be  all  over 
the  world  down  to  this  day. 

"'It  is  only  three  miles  from  Berchtesgaden  to  the  Konigs-See,  and 
the  road  is  a  picturesque  one.  But  picturesque  as  it  is,  it  cannot  com- 
pare with  the  lake  itself,  which  is  one  of  the  prettiest  sheets  of  wa- 
ter we  have  seen  in  Europe.  It  is  not  a  large  lake,  as  it  is  only  six 
miles  long  and  less  than  two  miles  across  in  its  widest  part.  It  lies 
2000  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  and  its  waters  are  as  pure  as  those 


466 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


THE    WATZMANN,   0%'ERLOOKISG    BERCHTESGADEX. 


of  any  other  lake  in  the  world.  The  lake  is  very  deep,  and  its  depth 
makes  it  appear  of  a  beautiful  emerald  green,  which  harmonizes  with 
the  surrounding  foliage,  and  at  the  same  time  forms  an  agreeable  con- 
trast. The  great  hills  and  mountains  slope  directly  down  to  the  lake, 
so  that  the  body  of  water  appears  smaller  than  it  really  is  in  conse- 
quence of  the  grandeur  of  its  surroundings. 

"We  hired  a  boat  for  an  excursion  on  the  lake,  as  this  is  one  of  the 
things  to  be  done  when  you  visit  the  Kunigs-See.  The  boat  was  of  the 
Italian  model,  long  at  bow  and  stern,  and  with  an  awning  in  the  centre 
that  sheltered  us  from  the  sun.  Our  rowers,  two  men  and  a  young 
woman,  the  latter  with  arms  like  a  blacksmith's,  knew  their  business, 
and  pulled  us  along  as  though  they  wanted  to  make  the  excursion  as 
short  as  possible  for  all  concerned. 

"  Where  we  took  the  boat  there  was  a  little  bay,  from  which  it  was 
impossible  to  see  the  principal  part  of  the  lake.  Mamma  mistook  this 
bay  for  the  lake,  and  declared,  with  much  vehemence,  that  it  could  not  be 
six  miles  long,  or  even  half  of  it.  She  found  out  her  mistake  when,  we 
turned  out  of  the  bay  into  the  lake,  and  at  the  same  time  her  eyes  rest- 
ed upon  a  scene  of  snow-clad  mountains  in  the  distance,  beyond  a  fore- 
ground of  forest-crowned  hills.  She  forgot  her  recent  mistake  in  the 
great  beauty  of  the  view,  and  it  is  fair  to  say  that  we  forgot  it,  too. 


ECHOES    ON   THE   KONIGS-SEE.  467 

"  When  we  were  at  the  narrowest  part  of  the  lake,  and  they  told  us 
it  was  also  the  deepest,  one  of  the  boatmen  brought  out  an  old  pistol, 
which  he  fired  three  or  four  times  to  awaken  the  echoes.  They  were 
really  remarkable,  as  they  were  repeated  over  and  over  again,  and  died 
away  in  a  manner  that  reminded  us  of  distant  thunder.  The  first  echo 
seemed  a  great  deal  louder  than  the  report  of  the  pistol  which  awoke 
it,  and  even  the  subsequent  noise  was  very  far  from  light.  Fred  sug- 
gested that  he  would  like  to  hear  a  cannon  fired  in  that  spot,  just  to  see 
what  kind  of  an  echo  it  would  produce,  and  he  was  very  sorry  that  he 
had  not  equipped  himself  with  some  cannon-crackers  of  Chinese  manu- 
facture. Mary  thought  that  if  a  pistol  could  make  such  an  echo  she 
was  afraid  a  cannon  might  bring  the  mountains  tumbling  about  us,  and 
she  was  quite  glad  of  Fred's  forgetfulness  in  the  matter  of  the  cannon- 
crackers  and  other  artillery. 

"We  landed  two  or  three  times,  our  longest  stay  on  shore  being  at 
the  farther  end  of  the  lake,  where  we  walked  to  another  mountain  lake 
called  the  Ober-See.  It  is  about  a  mile  long,  and  shut  in  by  precip- 
itous mountains  on  all  sides  except  on  that  nearest  the  Konigs-See, 
where  there  is  an  alp  or  pasture  that  seemed  to  contain  almost  as  many 
square  yards  of  rock  as  of  land  where  animals  could  find  anything 
to  eat,  and  in  places  there  was  more  rock  than  grass. 

"  Then  we  made  another  landing  on  our  return,  and  this  time  we  had 
a  dish  of  trout  similar  to  that  which  formed  our  breakfast.  The  land- 
ing is  known  as  St.  Bartholomae.  There  is  a  royal  hunting  chateau  there 
which  is  open  to  the  public  when  not  in  use  by  the  court — in  fact,  it  is 
rented  to  the  proprietor  of  the  restaurant  where  the  trout  are  served  for 
the  curiosity  and  appetites  of  visitors.  The  trout  are  called  'Saibling' 
by  the  Germans,  and  their  scientific  name  is  Salmo  salvelinus ;  they 
are  the  product  of  the  Konigs-See,  and  can  only  be  caught  by  special 
permission  of  the  Government  authorities. 

"  The  chateau  is  an  old  building,  and  has  a  chapel  attached  to  it 
where  great  numbers  of  pilgrims  go  to  say  their  prayers  on  St.  Bar- 
tholomew's Day.  The  hallway  contains  pictures  of  some  remarkable 
trout  that  have  been  caught  in  the  lakes  during  the  last  hundred  years 
and  more.  Mary  said  it  was  the  Hallway  of  Piscatorial  Fame,  and  of 
the  same  general  character  as  the  Hall  of  Fame  at  Munich,  the  name  of 
each  captor  being  given  along  with  the  portrait  of  his  fish. 

"  I  was  about  to  mention  the  size  of  some  of  these  prize  trout,  but 
Fred  hints  that  the  records  of  our  travels  may  be  called  in  question 
if  it  contains  '  fish    stories,'  which    are   not   usually  associated  with 


468 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


unflinching  veracity.  Therefore  I  forbear,  and  merely  say  that  the  trout 
were  large— for  trout ;  but  small  when  compared  with  whales. 

'•Our  excursion  on  the  lake,  including  the  stoppages,  took  nearly 
four  hours,  and  it  was  very  enjoyable.  When  we  reached  the  landing- 
place  on  our  return  we  started  to  pay  the  boatmen,  and  were  referred  to 
the  schifmeister,  or  boat-master,  who  regulates  the  entire  business,  and 
receives  the  money  for  the  services  of  the  boat  and  rowers.  This  did 
not  hinder  an  appeal  from  our  rowers  for  a  gratuity  for  themselves, 
which  custom  has  made  obligatory  — or  very  nearly  so.  Then  they 
wanted  something  for  the  powder  consumed  in  awaking  the  echoes,  and 
when  this  had  been  paid  they  suggested  an  additional  fee  for  the  use  of 
the  pistol.  But  we  drew  the  line  at  the  powder,  and  refused  anything 
more,  much  to  the  boatmen's  disgust. 

-  Our  carriage  was  waiting  for  us  at  the  boat-landing,  and,  as  the 
horses  had  had  a  long  rest,  we  dashed  off  in  good  style  to  the  salt-mines. 
These  mines  are  the  property  of  the  King  of  Bavaria,  and  yield  a  revenue 


BOAT-LANDING,   KOSIOS-SKE. 


to  the  Government.  They  have  been  worked  for  a  long  time,  and,  as  far 
as  can  be  seen,  are  practically  inexhaustible.  It  is  one  of  the  easiest 
salt-mines  in  the  world  to  visit,  as  the  whole  of  the  sight-seeing  does 
not  take  more  than  an  hour,  and  every  arrangement  is  made  for  the 


IN  THE   SALT-MINE.  469 

comfort  of  visitors.  Ten  or  twelve  thousand  visitors  are  admitted  every 
year,  and  there  is  a  good  revenue  from  the  sale  of  tickets.  The  part  of 
the  mine  which  is  shown  to  visitors  is  not  by  any  means  the  whole  of 
the  excavation,  though  it  probably  answers  the  purpose  of  the  ordinary 
traveller  just  as  well  as  though  he  were  carried  through  the  entire 
workings  from  one  end  to  the  other. 

"  Two  kinds  of  salt  are  produced  at  the  mines  of  Berchtesgaden.  The 
first  is  rock-salt,  for  cattle,  which  is  quarried  out  in  blocks  and  has  more 
or  less  earth  in  it,  so  that  its  color  is  not  at  all  attractive ;  four  or  five 
thousand  tons  of  this  are  taken  out  every  year,  the  amount  being  varied 
according  to  the  demand.  A  more  important  product  is  pure  salt 
for  table  and  other  uses,  of  which  they  make  twenty-five  or  thirty  thou- 
sand tons  yearly.  I'll  tell  you  how  they  refine  it  after  I  have  described 
the  visit  that  we  made  to  the  mine. 

"  There  are  five  galleries,  one  above  the  other.  "We  were  taken  into 
the  mine  through  the  lowest  gallery,  and  then  up  into  the  second  one 
by  means  of  stairways  cut  in  the  solid  rock  or  earth,  or  made  of  wood. 
Then  we  went  down  again,  then  up  again — in  fact,  there  were  so  manj^ 
ups  and  downs  in  our  journey  that  I  can't  pretend  to  enumerate  them. 

"Before  starting  every  bod}'  put  on  the  costume  of  the  mines,  leaving 
his  or  her  own  outer  garments  carefully  guarded  by  the  custodians  at 
the  entrance  of  the  works.  This  dress  was  prescribed  by  King  Ludwig 
of  Bavaria,  who  was  fond  of  making  everything  as  dramatic  as  possible, 
and  it  has  been  continued  to  the  present  time,  for  the  probable  reason 
that  it  enables  additional  fees  to  be  charged  for  the  use  of  the  garments. 
A  lantern  goes  as  a  chromo  with  each  suit  of  clothes,  and  thus  equipped, 
along  with  some  twenty  or  thirty  others,  we  were  an  odd-looking  lot  of 
travellers.  We  had  a  good  deal  of  laughter  before  we  started,  and  the 
guide  said  it  was  always  necessary  to  allow  five  or  ten  minutes  for 
laughter  when  a  party  assembled.  "When  we  had  done  with  our  laughing 
we  started  at  a  signal  by  one  of  the  guides,  who  led  the  advance.  Mam- 
ma  and  Mary  were  each  escorted  by  a  guide,  and  the  same  was  the  case 
with  each  woman  of  the  party.  Fred  and  I  were  supplied  with  heavy 
gloves  of  leather,  and  we  asked  what  they  were  for. 

"  '  You'll  find  out  very  soon,'  replied  the  guide  nearest  us.  And 
find  out  we  did  before  the  journey  ended. 

""We  started  into  the  mine  on  foot,  and  altogether  we  must  have 
walked  a  mile  or  more  while  we  were  inside  the  mountain.  The  salt 
was  above,  below,  and  around  us  ;  and  nobody  knows  how  extensive  it  is. 
They  have  sunk  shafts  200  feet  below  the  lowest  workings,  and  found 


470 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


salt  all  the  way;  and  as  for  the  upper  part  of  the  mountain,  it  is  known 
to  be  a  mass  of  salt  of  very  great  extent. 

"  Mamma  was  much  surprised  to  find  pools  or  lakes  in  the  mountain, 
and  to  learn  that  the  places  for  these  pools  had  been  excavated  by  the 
workmen.     These  pools  are  for  dissolving  the  salt  in  water,  which  is  let 


KONIGS-SEE. 


in  through  large  pipes  from  the  upper  parts  of  the  mountain.  It  lies  there 
four  or  five  weeks,  until  it  has  taken  up  all  the  salt  it  will  hold,  which  is 
about  twenty-seven  pounds  of  the  mineral  for  every  hundred  pounds  of 
water,  and  sometimes  a  little  more. 

"  There  is  one  pool  which  is  no  longer  used  for  the  purpose  of  dis- 
solving the  salt.  This  pool  we  crossed  in  a  boat,  and  it  was  dimly  lighted 
up  by  hundreds  of  miners'  lamps  placed  around  it.  Mary  said  the  light 
just  made  the  darkness  visible,  and  enabled  her  to  see  it  a  great  deal 
better  than  if  there  had  been  no  light  at  all. 

"  We  landed  from  the  boat  close  to  a  great  block  of  salt,  on  which 
were  the  words,  '•Gluc'k  au/P— the  w-elcome  of  the  miners  to  all  who 
visit  them.  Then  we  were  told  to  mount  astride  of  a  smooth  rail,  by 
which  we  were  to  descend  to  a  lower  level.  The  ladies  were  placed  in 
the  front  of  the  line,  each  of  them  under  the  escort  of  a  miner  or  guide, 


AN   UNDERGROUND    SLIDE.  471 

but  the  gentlemen  had  no  such  escort.  Here  it  was  we  learned  the  uses 
of  our  leather  gloves.  We  were  told  to  grasp  a  rope  that  hung  just  above 
the  rail  and  a  little  to  one  side,  and  by  means  of  this  rope  Ave  were  to 
check  the  rapidity  of  our  descent.  All  the  miners  and  guides  held  firmly 
to  the  rope,  and  away  we  went,  sliding  down  an  incline  that  was  not  far 
from  45°.  Fred  said  it  seemed  to  him  at  times  to  be  almost  perpendic- 
ular, but  his  imagination  probably  ran  away  with  him. 

"  We  passed  through  several  chambers  and  galleries,  and  at  length 
came  to  a  tramway  which  was  said  to  take  us  out  of  the  mine  into  the 
open  air.  The  ladies  were  placed  in  rough,  cars,  while  the  gentlemen 
mounted  astride  of  a  long  rail  on  wheels,  very  much  as  they  had  sat 
upon  the  slide  by  which  we  previously  descended.  At  the  head  of  the 
line  was  a  car  with  a  powerful  brake,  and  there  was  a  similar  car  at 
the  rear.  When  the  signal  to  start  was  given  we  moved  off — slowly  at 
first,  and  soon  more  rapidly.  The  road  leads  down  an  incline  so  steep 
that  the  train  would  be  dashed  to  pieces  if  it  were  not  controlled  by  the 
brakes,  and  whenever  the  speed  seemed  to  be  at  all  dangerous  or  tiying 
to  the  nerves  it  was  checked  at  once. 

"The  ride  was  like  the  one  on  the  Switchback  road  in  Pennsylvania, 
only  it  was  not  more  than  a  mile  or  so  in  distance,  and  was  underground 
instead  of  out-of-doors.  By -and -by  we  saw  a  glimmer  of  light  ahead 
of  us,  and  a  few  moments  later  found  ourselves  in  the  hot  air  outside 
the  mountain,  and  ready  to  descend  from  our  queer  vehicles.  Photog- 
raphers were  ready  to  take  pictures  of  us  in  our  mining  costumes,  and 
the  attendants  gathered  about  us  to  sell  specimens  of  rock-salt  and  in- 
timate that  gratuities  for  their  services  would  not  be  refused.  As  soon 
as  we  could  do  so  we  changed  to  our  own  garments  and  started  for  the 
return  ride  to  Salzburg  after  a  well-spent  day. 

"  jSTow  let  us  go  back  to  where  we  left  the  salt  dissolving  in  the 
water  in  one  of  the  pools  inside  the  mountain. 

"When  the  water  is  sufficiently  charged  with  salt  it  is  allowed  to 
flow  through  pipes  and  channels  into  a  reservoir,  whence  it  is  pumped 
to  another  reservoir  700  feet  higher  than  the  first  one.  From  this  reser- 
voir it  flows  into  another  four  miles  away,  whence  it  is  again  pumped 
1200  feet  to  the  top  of  the  mountain.  The  pumping  is  done  by  engines 
worked  by  water-power,  which  is  abundant  and  unfailing,  so  that  the 
work  is  by  no  means  expensive.  From  the  last  reservoir  the  brine 
flows  by  gravity  to  Reichenhall,  twenty  miles  away.  Here  some  of  it 
is  evaporated  till  it  produces  crystallized  salt,  which  is  then  ground 
for  table  and  other  uses.     Eeichenhall  supplies  three  other  places  with 


472 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EL'ROPE. 


brine  for  their  salt-works,  and  altogether  they  have  an  extensive  busi- 
ness of  a  permanent  character. 

"Do  not  suppose  that  all  the  salt  in  Bavaria  comes  from  the  mine 
that  we  visited.  There  are  other  mines  in  this  district,  and  there  are 
springs  of  water  at  Iteichenhall  containing  25  per  cent,  of  salt.  We  are 
close  to  the  boundary  between  Bavaria  and  Austria,  and  there  are  salt- 
yielding  hills  on  both  sides  of  the  line.  In  all  the  mines  of  this  region 
the  processes  of  obtaining  the  saline  mineral  are  very  much  as  we  saw 
at  Berchtesgaden,  as  far  as  we  could  learn." 

"  Iieichenhall  ought  to  be  a  health  resort,"  Mrs.  Bassett  remarked, 
when  she  learned  that  it  had  salt-springs  of  its  own.  "  The  salt-baths 
would  be  likely  to  attract  people  who  might  be  benefited  by  them." 

"  Your  supposition  is  correct,  mamma,"  Frank  answered.    "  Reichen- 


■  '."="   -^i 

mmmn 

J^^Mriiji  .gr^i 

^.i>%a  ':,:.  1 

*=M»-  ~Z--.-^ --'J 

•     ■: "       -    -    ■   1 

'%9ffs&^. 


mm 


hall  is  a  health 
resort  of   con- 
siderable impor- 
tance, and  there  is  quite  a  little 
town  there — or,  rather,  a  quarter 
of  the  town — which  is  almost  ex- 
clusively occupied  by  invalids  and 
those  who  care  for  them.     It  is 
known   as  the   Curvorstadt,  and 
consists   of   bath-houses,  hotels, 
boarding-houses,  and  villas.     One  large  building  is  devoted  to  the  inha- 
lation-cure, which  is  a  peculiarity  of  Beichenhall." 
"  What  is  that  ?" 
"It  is  the  inhalation  of  the  vapors  arising  from  salt-water  in  the 


Taj. 


LAKK    IS    SALT-MINE.    BERCHTKSGADEN. 


ASCENT  OF   THE  GAISBERG.  473 

process  of  evaporation.  They  also  have  a  pine-needle  cure,  in  which  the 
patient  inhales  the  odors  of  the  pine-needles  gathered  from  the  sides  of 
the  mountains  in  the  neighborhood.  If  we  should  go  to  Reichenhall  we 
would  find  the  place  full  of  people  suffering  from  general  debility,  rheu- 
matism, asthma,  and  affections  of  the  lungs  in  various  forms.  The 
town  is  iu  an  amphitheatre  of  mountains,  and  is  only  fourteen  miles 
from  Salzburg,  so  that  we  can  easily  get  there." 

"Reichenhall  will  keep  till  we  come  this  way  again,"  said  Fred.  "I 
propose  that  Ave  don't  go  there." 

"  And  I  second  the  proposition,"  said  Mary — "  provided,  of  course,  all 
the  rest  agree  to  it  without  hesitation." 

"  I'm  sure  I  don't  care  to  see  the  place,"  Mrs.  Bassett  remarked, 
after  a  moment's  pause.  "  You  said  there  is  a  railway  here  like  the  one 
up  the  Rigi.  I  think  that  would  be  more  interesting  than  a  Bavarian 
health  resort  crowded  with  invalids." 

"  There  is  such  a  railway,"  replied  the  youth,  "  and  it  ascends  the 
Gaisbeig,  which  affords  the  finest  view  near  Salzburg.  The  mountain 
is  4200  feet  high  ;  in  many  ways  the  view  from  the  top  is  like  that  from 
the  Rigi,  and  the  journey  is  very  much  the  same." 

"  How  long  does  it  take  to  go  there  ?"  Mary  asked. 

"  It  will  take  us  twenty  minutes  in  a  carriage  or  by  omnibus  from 
the  door  of  the  hotel  to  the  station  whence  the  trains  start.  The  ascent 
of  the  mountain  requires  forty  minutes,  the  distance  being  a  little  under 
three  miles,  if  I  have  been  correctly  informed." 

"  To  the  Gaisberg,  all !"  said  Mary,  in  a  commanding  tone.  Then 
she  turned  to  Frank  and  asked  how  soon  they  were  to  start  on  the  ex- 
cursion which  had  been  planned. 

"In  about  half  an  hour,"  was  the  reply.  "That  will  enable  us  to 
connect  very  easily  with  the  next  train  for  the  summit,  and  leave  a 
margin  of  ten  minutes  or  more  for  contingencies." 

Xeedless  to  say,  the  party  visited  the  Gaisberg,  spent  an  hour  on  the 
top  of  the  mountain,  and  took  in  the  view  in  all  directions.  Though 
they  enjoyed  it  greatly,  they  agreed  that  it  was  inferior  to  the  view 
from  the  Rigi,  as  it  lacked  the  magnificent  panorama  of  the  snowy  Alps, 
which  the  latter  affords.  True,  there  were  snow-covered  mountains  in 
sight  from  the  Gaisberg,  but  they  were  not  like  the  lofty  peaks  that 
cut  the  horizon  as  one  looks  from  the  grass -crowned  top  of  the  more 
famous  elevation  between  the  Zurich  and  Lucerne  lakes. 

On  their  return  from  Gaisberg  the  travellers  drove  to  the  imperial 
chateau  of  Hellbrunn,  three  miles  to  the  south  of  Salzburg,  and  spent 


474 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


an  hour  or  more  among  the  gardens  and  fountains,  for  which  the  place 
is  famous.  They  are  in  the  style  of  the  seventeenth  and  eighteenth 
centuries,  and  though  the  gardens  were  in  all  their  glory,  it  was  a  mat- 
ter of  regret  that  the  fountains  were  not  then  in  operation.     But  the 


COSTUMES    OF    THE    ZILLER    THAL,    TTKOL. 


regret  was  of  short  duration,  for  Fred  learned  on  inquiry  that  the  fount- 
ains resembled  professional  actors  in  being  willing  to  play  "  for  money.*' 
As  the  amount  was  not  large  it  was  speedily  contributed,  and  the  fount- 
ains were  put  in  operation,  to  the  great  delight  of  Mrs.  Bassett  and  her 
daughter,  who  found  the  performance  very  pleasing. 

""We  must  not  forget  the  Steinerne  Theatre."  said  Mary,  "as  it  is 
one  of  the  curiosities  of  the  place." 


A  THEATRE   IN  THE   ROCK. 


475 


"  Certainly  not,"  said  Fred  ;  and  as  soon  as  the  fountains  had  settled 
down  to  their  former  idleness  the  party  took  its  way  to  the  place  which 
Mary  had  mentioned  as  something  worthy  of  a  visit. 

Frank  explained  to  his  mother  that  in  this  theatre,  which  is  hewn  in 
the  solid  rock,  operas  and  pastoral  plajrs  were  performed  before  the  arch- 
bishops in  the  days  when  they  ruled  in  this  region,  as  already  described. 
Mrs.  Bassett  thought  she  might  be  willing  to  attend  a  single  perform- 
ance in  the  Steinerne  for  the  sake  of  novelty,  but  she  did  not  think  it 
would  be  a  popular  place  of  amusement  through  an  entire  season. 


DINI.NG-ROOM    IN    THE   CASTLE. 


4:76 


THE  BUY  TRAVELLERS  IX  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


CHAPTER    XXYII. 

FROM  SALZBURG  TO  LINZ.— DOWN  THE  DANUBE.— NAVIGATION  ON  TIIE  "BEAUTI- 
FCTL  BLUE"  RIVER.  —  POETIC  LICENSE. —  CASTLES,  AND  TRADITIONS  ABOUT 
THEM. —  TIIE  ABBEY  OF  MELK.  —  A  GERMAN  JOKE. —  ARRIVAL  AT  VIENNA; 
FIRST  VIEW  OF  TIIE  CITY.— THE  RINGSTRASSE;  HOW  IT  ORIGINATED.— THE 
RINGS  OF  VIENNA.— ST.  STEPHEN'S  CHURCH.— ANTIQUITY  OF  VIENNA.— THE 
VINDOBONA  OF  THE  ROMANS.— HOUSE  OF  HAPSBURG-LORRAINE— AN  UNBRO- 
KEN LINE  OF  SIX  CENTURIES.— IN  A  CAFE-RESTAURANT.— VIENNESE  CUSTOMS. 
—PERPLEXITIES  FOR  STRANGERS.— DOCTOR  BRONSON'S  SToRY  OF  1873.— THE 
ZAHL-KELLXER  AND  HIS  DUTIES— HONESTY  OF  THE  VIENNESE.— SHOPPING 
ON  TIIE  GRABEN.— RUSSIA-LEATHER  GOODS. 

AT  breakfast  the  next  morning  Frank  announced  the  "  plan  of 
campaign,"  as  Mary  called  it,  for  the  day. 

"  Vienna  is  now  our  objective  point,*1  said  Frank ;  "  and  the  railway 
will  carry  us  there  in  about  nine  hours." 

"  I  thought  vou  told  me  we  would  not  go  bv  rail,"  Fred  remarked, 
as  his  cousin  paused,  with  a  twinkle  in  his  eye. 

"I  did  tell  you  so,"  was  the  reply.  "  \Ve  will  go  by  rail  to  Linz, 
three  hours  from  here,  and  spend  the  night  there.  At  eight  the  next 
morning  Ave  will  go  on  board  a  steamboat  which  will  carry  us  to  Vienna 
in  eight  hours,  provided  she  has  no  more  delay  on  the  way  than  usual." 


CTRJALON    IN    THE    STADTTARK,    VIENNA. 


ON  THE  DANUBE.  477 

"That  will  be  delightful,"  said  Mrs.  Bassett,  well  pleased  with  the 
"plan  of  campaign."  ""We  can  see  the  'beautiful  blue  Danube'  that 
we  have  heard  so  much  about,  and  though  the  journey  is  longer,  it 
will  be  much  pleasanter  than  the  one  by  rail." 

Mary  echoed  the  words  of  her  mother,  and  it  was  accordingly  ar- 
ranged as  above  set  forth.  Frank  said  the  train  would  leave  Salzburg 
at  2.10  p.m.,  and  was  due  in  Linz  at  5.17  p.m.  There  was  not  much  to 
see  in  Linz,  and  an  hour's  drive  would  suffice  for  "  doing "  the  place. 
Then  it  would  be  time  for  dinner,  and  after  dinner  the  motto  would  be, 
"early  to  bed,"  for  the  reason  that  early  rising  on  the  following  morn- 
ing would  be  compulsory,  on  account  of  the  departure  of  the  steamer  at 
eight  o'clock  with  railway  punctuality. 

The  head  of  regular  steam  navigation  on  the  Danube  is  at  Passau, 
about  seventy  miles  above  Linz ;  but  the  boats  on  this  part  of  the  river 
are  smaller  than  those  running  between  Linz  and  Vienna.  The  scenery 
is  wild  and  picturesque,  but  the  towns  and  villages  are  few,  the  popula- 
tion is  not  at  all  what  one  expects  to  find  on  the  banks  of  a  great  river 
of  Europe,  and  there  does  not  appear  to  be  much  traffic  along  this  an- 
cient waterway.  Several  castles,  the  majority  of  them  in  ruins,  are  in 
sight  from  the  river,  and  also  several  modern  chateaux — one  of  them  the 
property  of  the  imperial  family  of  Austria,  and  occasionally  occupied 
by  them  during  their  periods  of  rest. 

The  Danube  is  navigable  from  Ulm,  in  "Wiirtembero;,  but  the  boats 
which  ply  upon  it  between  Ulm  and  Passau  are  poorly  adapted  for 
pleasure  travel,  and  do  not  run  with  regularity.  The  Danube  receives 
the  Inn  at  Passau,  and  with  this  very  material  addition  to  its  waters  it 
becomes  for  the  first  time  a  river  of  consequence. 

The  steamboat  on  which  our  friends  embarked  at  Linz  had  very  few 
passengers  at  starting,  but  a  goodly  number  came  on  board  at  the  va- 
rious landing-places  where  the  boat  made  brief  stoppages.  Frank  se- 
cured comfortable  chairs  for  his  mother  and  sister,  so  that  they  could 
study  the  scenery  of  the  Danube  to  good  advantage  as  the  boat  wound 
along  on  its  tortuous  course  in  the  direction  of  Vienna. 

"  The  beautiful  blue  Danube  isn't  blue  at  all,"  said  Mrs.  Bassett, 
very  soon  after  they  were  under  way.  "  Just  look  at  the  water,  and 
say  what  color  it  is,  if  you  can  tell  exactly." 

Mary  looked  intently,  and  agreed  with  her  mother  that  the  river 
was  not  blue.  "  It  is  green  rather  than  azure,"  said  the  girl ;  "  but  blue 
sounds  better  than  green  in  poetry,  when  water  is  under  consideration, 
and  I  suppose  we  must  forgive  the  illusion  that  has  been  presented  to  us." 


478 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


But  later  in  the  day  Mrs.  Bassett  admitted  that  there  were  places 
in  the  river  where  blue  was  predominant.     Frank  pointed  out  that  the 

sky  at  that  time  was  clear,  and  its  color  was  reflected  in  the  water.     He 


S5tar=-  '  ■    •■      '.    '—.  V;^~_J  rir -U-      ~    "'.- 


-  ■    ,  I  ■ 


L-Vil 


f3u%. 


mm* 


, 


\m0 


*>  *mkzsM^£^*&A  _Mtr^JL '^s.^3'  sgi^s^is  ~r.->4  ^ 


■  'r*.'" 


■^^^¥ 


PLAN'    OF    THE    KINGSTRASSE. 


added  that  if  the  day  had  been  dull  and  cloudy,  it  was  quite  likely  that 
the  water  would  have  assumed  a  leaden  color,  out  of  sympathy  with 
the  heavens  above  it,  like  the  waters  of  other  rivers. 

Mrs.  Bassett  and  Mary  were  disappointed  with  the  scenery  of  the 
Danube,  as  they  found  the  banks  flat  and  uninteresting  for  a  consider- 
able part  of  the  way.  Still,  there  was  enough  of  interest  to  keep  their 
eyes  busy,  and  their  attention  was  specially  roused  by  the  castles— some 
in  ruins  and  others  in  good  condition— that  were  visible  at  irregular  in- 
tervals, though  less  numerous  than  along  the  banks  of  the  Rhine. 

One  castle,  that  of  Aggstein.  was  pointed  out.  which  was  said  to 
have  been  the  stronghold  of  a  robber  baron  who  was  the  terror  of  this 
part  of  the  Danube.  According  to  the  tradition,  he  used  to  throw  his 
prisoners  from  the  rock  into  the  river,  first  binding  them  hand  and  foot 
to  make  certain  that  there  should  be  no  possibility  of  escape,  even  if 
they  were  not  killed  by  the  fall  from  the  walls  of  the  castle,  which 
was  pretty  sure  to  be  the  result  in  every  case. 


AN  ANCIENT   ABBEY.  479 

Perhaps  the  most  famous  of  the  ancient  edifices  along  the  Danube 
between  Linz  and  Vienna  is  the  abbey  of  Melk,  or  Molk,  which  stands 
on  a  commanding  rock  200  feet  above  the  river,  and  looks  more  like  a 
fortress  or  palace  than  the  home  of  Benedictine  monks.  Mary  looked 
up  its  history,  and  wrote  about  it  as  follows : 

"  The  abbey  was  founded  in  the  year  1089,  and  rebuilt  in  the  early 
part  of  the  eighteenth  century.  Before  the  time  of  the  abbey  there 
was  a  chateau  there  belonging  to  the  margraves  of  Babenberg,  and  the 
tombs  of  some  of  the  margraves  can  be  seen  in  the  abbey  church.  Of 
course  the  abbey  has  had  its  share  of  siege  and  capture.  It  was  occu- 
pied by  Napoleon  after  the  battle  of  Aspern,  and  he  strengthened  it  so 
that  he  could  defend  himself  there  in  case  of  attack.  There  is  an  ex- 
tensive library  in  the  abbey,  and  in  one  of  the  chapels  they  have  a  cross 
of  gold  which  dates  from  the  fourteenth  century.  This  cross  is  two 
feet  in  height,  and  the  back  is  covered  with  pearls  and  precious  stones 
of  great  value,  but  their  exact  worth  is  not  given. 

"  We  did  not  have  time  to  visit  the  abbey,"  continued  Mary,  "  and 
we  did  not  once  set  foot  on  shore  during  the  day,  as  the  steamer  only 
stopped  the  shortest  possible  time  at  each  landing.  Sometimes  we  were 
not  more  than  half  a  minute  at  a  landing,  and  I  don't  think  there  was 
a  halt  anywhere  of  more  than  five  or  six  minutes.  These  boats  run 
with  the  regularity  of  railway  trains,  though  sometimes  they  are  de- 
tained by  fog  or  by  getting  aground  in  a  low  stage  of  water.  If  no 
accidents  or  unavoidable  detentions  occur,  they  can  calculate  almost  to 
a  minute  the  time  of  arrival  at  Vienna. 

"  The  voyage  down  -  stream  from  Linz  to  Vienna  takes  eight  and 
sometimes  nine  hours,  while  that  up-stream  from  Vienna  to  Linz  takes 
from  eighteen  to  twenty  hours.  Frank  says  our  first-class  fare  down  is 
seven  florins  for  each  of  us,  but  if  we  should  take  passage  for  the  ascent 
of  the  river  it  would  be  only  three  florins ;  thus  the  longer  passage  (in 
time)  costs  the  least  money.  There  are  very  few  tourists  who  are  likely 
to  make  the  ascent  of  the  river  from  Vienna  to  Linz;  and  as  for  that 
from  Linz  to  Ratisbon  and  Ulm,  Frank  says  he  never  heard  of  any  trav- 
eller who  had  undertaken  it  except  a  few  canoists. 

"  Fred  directed  our  attention  to  two  places  called  Grein  and  Stein ; 
then  he  said,  in  his  very  best  German  : 

" '  Stein  unci  Grein  sind  clrei  Orte '  (Stein  and  Grein  are  three 
places).     "We  all  listened  intently. 

" '  You  are  wrong,  Fred,'  said  I ;  '  they  are  two  places,  not  three. 
Have  you  forgotten  your  arithmetic?' 


4SU 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTKAL  EUROPE. 


"Then  he  laughed,  and  said  he  was  perpetrating  on  me  a  German 
joke  of  a  very  ancient  character,  He  explained  that  there  is  a  Capuchin 
monastery  called  Und  not  far  from  Stein,  and  therefore  it  is  correct  to 
say,  '  Stem,  Und,  Grein  sind  drei  Orte.'  If  I  had  only  known  about 
Und  lie  would  not  have  caught  me  that  way." 

It  was  about  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  that  the  domes  and  spires 
of  Vienna  became  visible,  and  preparations  were  made  for  transferring 
the  passengers  to  a  smaller  steamer  that  takes  them  to  the  landing-place 
in  the  middle  of  the  city.  The  Danube  makes  a  wide  bend  around 
Vienna  ;  but  there  is  a  branch — or  cut-off,  as  they  would  say  in  the  val- 
ley of  the  Mississippi — called  the  Donau  Canal,  which  traverses  the  city 
and  is  navigable  for  small  boats.  The  current  in  this  canal  is  very  swift, 
and  a  boat  must  have  powerful  engines  to  be  able  to  stem  it.  The  cur- 
rent of  the  main  river  averages  three  miles  an  hour,  exceeding  this  speed 
in  some  places  and  falling  below  it  in  others. 

Frank  had  telegraphed  from  Linz  to  Doctor  Bronson,  and  when  the 
boat  arrived  at  the  Franz  Josef  Quay  our  friends  found  him  waiting 
for  them.  In  a  very  few  minutes  they  were  on  their  way  to  the  Grand 
Hotel,  and  when  they  reached  their  destination  Mrs.  Bassett  declared 
that  she  had  not  seen  a  prettier  drive  from  station  or  landing  to  hotel 
in  any  city  of  Europe,  as  far  as  she  could  remember. 

"  And  you  would  still  be  able  to  say  so,"  replied  Doctor  Bronson, 
"  if  you  should  visit  every  city  not  only  in  Europe  but  the  whole  world. 


*0L 


SCHWARZE.NBKRGPLATZ,    VIENNA. 


VIENNA   AND   THE   RINGSTRASSE.  481 

The  Eingstrasse  of  Vienna  is  without  a  rival  anywhere.  The  nearest 
approach  to  it  is  the  Champs-Elysees  of  Paris,  and  though  you  will  find 
many  features  common  to  both,  you  will  also  find  many  points  of  differ- 
ence. The  Eingstrasse  is  the  product  of  the  last  quarter  of  a  century ; 
it  follows  the  line  of  the  fortifications  of  the  Vienna  of  the  olden  time, 
and  you  can  see  that  it  was  liberally  and  magnificently  planned." 

"  How  wide  and  long  is  it  ?"  Mrs.  Bassett  asked. 

"  From  the  point  where  it  leaves  the  Danube  till  it  reaches  the  river 
again  the  Eingstrasse  measures  two  miles.  It  has  an  average  width  of 
nearly  two  hundred  feet,  and  you  observe  that  for  much  of  the  way  it 
has  a  central  walk,  with  rows  of  shade -trees.  The  magnificent  build- 
ings on  each  side  of  the  Eing  are  a  great  credit  to  the  Viennese  archi- 
tects, and  there  is  no  other  city  in  the  world  that  can  show  so  many 
fine  structm'es  in  the  same  distance.  The  Eingstrasse,  in  conjunction 
with  the  Franz  Josef  Quay,  completely  encircles  the  old  city.  If  you 
look  at  the  map  you  will  see  that  the  Eingstrasse  has  the  general  shape 
of  the  letter  U  while  the  Franz  Josef  Quay  connects  the  ends  of  the 
letter  so  as  to  form  a  somewhat  distorted  0.  This  was  the  old  Vienna 
of  past  centuries.  The  new  Vienna  is  something  very  unlike  the  old 
one,  as  you  will  have  abundant  opportunity  to  find  out." 

"  It's  a  funny  idea,  isn't  it,"  queried  Mrs.  Bassett,  as  she  looked  at 
the  map  of  the  city,  "to  have  a  single  street  making  nearly  three  parts 
of  a  circle  ?  I  suppose  '  Eingstrasse '  means  '  Eing  Street,'  and  they  call 
it  a  ring  because  it  almost  makes  one." 

"  That  is  probably  the  reason,"  replied  the  Doctor ;  "  but  if  you  look 
again  at  the  lettering  on  the  map  you  will  find  that  the  Eingstrasse  is 
divided  into  several  sections,  and  each  section  has  a  name  of  its  own." 

"  Oh,  I  see !"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Bassett,  as  she  again  consulted  the 
map,  and  read  off  the  different  names  of  the  sections  of  the  Eingstrasse. 
Beginning  at  the  Aspern  Bridge,  over  the  Danube  Canal,  she  read  as 
follows,  in  the  order  here  given  : 

"  Stuben  Eing,  Park  Eing,  Kolowrat  Eing.  Karnthner  Eing,  Opern 
Eing,  Burg  Eing,  Franzens  Eing,  Schotten  Eing.  What  a  lot  of  them ! 
I  wonder  if  they  have  a  Tammany  Eing,  as  we  have  in  New  York  ?" 

"  It  has  been  hinted  more  than  once,"  the  Doctor  answered,  "  that 
Vienna  has  afforded  an  opportunity  for  many  individuals  to  make 
money  in  the  construction  of  the  public  buildings  that  are  distributed 
along  the  Eingstrasse.  It  would  be  very  strange  if  something  of  the 
kind  did  not  happen,  as  human  nature  is  the  same  the  world  over,  and 
is  liable  to  take  advantage  of  opportunities.     But  on  the  whole  the 

31 


482 


THE  BUY  TRAVELLERS  EN  CENTRAL  EUROPE 


affairs  of  Vienna  have  been  conducted  ably  and  honestly,  and  to  the 
great  advantage  and  prosperity  of  the  people." 

In  the  evening  our  friends  went  for  a  walk  along  the  Iiing.  as  the 
Ringstrasse  is  frequently  called,  and  found  it  as  gay  as  the  boulevards  of 
Paris,  and  with  some  of  the  features  of  those  popular  resorts.  Thou- 
sands of  people  were  strolling  there:  but  the  great  width  of  the  side- 
walks gave  ample  room  for  all.  This  was  not  the  ease  when  the  stran- 
gers turned  from  the  Ring  into  the  streets  of  the  inner  city,  and  took 


A    PAF.TY    AT    TABLE. 


their  way  to  St.  Stephen's  Church  and  the  Graben.  Here  they  found 
the  sidewalks  very  narrow,  and  in  several  instances  when  they  met 
people  going  in  the  other  direction  it  was  necessary  for  one  party  or 
the  other  to  step  in  the  carriage-way.  or.  at  all  events,  crowd  very  closely 
to  the  curb.  But  there  was  universal  politeness  everywhere.  There  was 
no  jostling  or  crowding,  and  ^Irs.  Bassett  made  up  her  mind  that  the 
Vienna  people  were  as  polite  as  any  she  had  ever  seen. 


THE  FOUNDING  OF  VIENNA.  4S3 

"  "We  will  leave  the  church  for  a  daylight  visit,"  said  the  Doctor ; 
"and  it  will  be  one  of  the  first  things  you  will  wish  to  see,  as  it  is  a 
very  famous  building,  and  contains  some  interesting  monuments." 

"  Yes,"  said  Mary ;  "  it  contains  the  tomb  of  jSTapoleon  II.,  Duke  of 
Reichstadt  and  King  of  Rome,  the  only  son  of  Xapoleon  I.,  and  the 
Empress  Maria  Louisa.  Then  there  is  the  tomb  of  Prince  Eugene  of 
Savoy,  and  there  are  tombs  and  monuments  of  some  of  the  sovereigns  of 
Austria,  who  lived  and  ruled  several  hundred  years  ago.  Then  there 
are  the  catacombs  under  the  church,  and — " 

"  Stop,  please,"  said  Frank  ;  "  we  are  out  for  a  stroll  just  now,  and 
don't  want  our  heads  filled  with  tombs  and  catacombs,  even  if  they  are 
the  resting-places  of  royalty.  It  will  be  time  enough  for  them  when 
we  visit  St.  Stephen's  and  have  nothing  else  to  think  of." 

"  I  quite  agree  with  you,"  Mary  answered  ;  "  but  thought  it  just  pos- 
sible you  might  want  to  know  what  was  to  be  seen  in  the  church.  It's 
an  old  edifice  at  any  rate,  as  it  dates  from  the  fourteenth  century,  and 
stands  on  the  site  of  a  church  constructed  two  or  three  hundred  years 
earlier.     "What  they  had  before  the  church  I  don't  know." 

"  Then  Vienna  must  be  an  old  city,"  Mrs.  Bassett  remarked,  "  or  it 
couldn't  have  such  an  ancient  church." 

"  Certainly  it  is,"  Frank  answered.  "  The  Romans  built  a  fort  on 
this  spot  in  the  first  century  of  the  Christian  era,  and  the  Emperor  Mar- 
cus Aurelius  died  here  in  the  year  180.  The  Romans  called  the  place 
Tindobona,  and  it  grew  and  flourished,  and  was  the  seat  of  the  Roman 
civil  and  military  government  for  the  surrounding  country  till  the  in- 
vasion of  the  Huns  in  the  fifth  century.  Then  Charlemagne  conquered 
the  district  near  the  end  of  the  eighth  centmy,  and  attached  it  to  his 
empire.  In  the  j'ear  955  Vienna  was  an  important  fortified  town,  and  it 
has  been  an  important  place  ever  since." 

•'"Was  the  family  of  the  Hapsburgs  here  when  Charlemagne  con- 
quered the  country  3"  Mary  asked,  as  Frank  paused. 

"  Xo,"  was  the  repky  ;  ''they  did  not  come  here  until  the  year  1276, 
when  Rudolph  of  Hapsburg  defeated  Ottokar  of  Bohemia,  who  had 
been  in  possession  of  the  country  since  1251.  The  Hapsburgs  have 
been  here  since  then,  and  it  is  the  only  imperial  or  royal  line  of  Eu- 
rope that  can  show  an  unbroken  rule  of  six  centuries.  Down  to  1740 
it  was  the  House  of  Hapsburg,  but  since  that  year  it  has  been  the 
House  of  Ilapsburg-Lorraine." 

"  How  did  that  happen  ?" 

"The  male  line  of  the  House  of  Hapsburg  died  in  1740  with  the 


4b4 


THE  BUY  TRAVELLERS  IX  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


Emperor  Karl  VI.  His  only  daughter,  Maria  Theresa,  married  Duke 
Franz  of  Lorraine  and  Tuscany,  and  thus  the  House  of  Hapsburg-Lor- 
raine  was  founded." 

Mrs.  Eassett  wished  to  know  the  location  of  the  House.  She  thought 
it  must  be  very  interesting.  It  was  certainly  very  solidly  built  to  have 
lasted  so  long,  and  they  should  not  fail  to  see  it. 

Frank  evaded  an  explanation  by  saying  they  would,  without  doubt, 
see  the  imperial  palace  the  next  day,  and  if  they  were  fortunate  they 
might  have  a  view  of  the  Emperor  taking  a  drive  in  the  Prater,  which 
is  an  eveiy-day  occurrence. 

Returning  to  the  King,  our  friends  entered  one  of  the  cafe-restau- 
rants for  which  Vienna  is  famous,  and  while  sipping  the  coffee  and 
soda-water  which  they  ordered  they  had  an  opportunity  to  study  the 
Viennese  at  their  recreations.  The  result  of  their  observation  was  that 
the  people  resembled  the  French  more  than  they  did  the  inhabitants  of 
Northern  Germany.  They  were  vivacious  and  light-hearted,  and  seemed 
to  enjoy  life  with  greater  energy  than  did  the  people  of  Berlin  under 
similar  circumstances,  and  also  to  make  more  noise. 

One  thing  that  greatly  amused  the  strangers,  and  especially  Mrs. 
Bassett,  was  the  Viennese  habit  of  talking  simultaneously  when  seated 
at  table.  Near  our  friends  was  a  family  party  of  six  taking  their  sup- 
per. The  conversation  was  active,  and  can  best  be  described  in  Mrs. 
Bassett's  words  when  she  sent  home  her  next  letter : 


VIENNESE    WAITERS 


HOW  THE  VIENNESE   TALK. 


435 


"It  was  one  of  the  funniest  things  I  ever  saw.  Here  were  six  peo- 
ple at  one  table  eating  and  drinking,  and  in  the  intervals  of  the  coming 
of  the  dishes  and  glasses  they  all  joined  in  conversation.    Every  tongue 


was    in   motion   at  the   same 
time.    All  talked  at  the  tops 
of  their  voices.     Nobody   di- 
rected his  or  her  conversation 
to  any  particular  one  of  the 
party,  but  rattled  away  as  fast 
as  possible  in  the  general  di- 
rection of  the  rest.   Frank  said 
it  was  like  a  hunter  shooting 
at    a   flock   of  birds   without 
aiming  at  any  one  of  them ;  he  took  his  chances  of  making  an  occa- 
sional hit,  and  I  suppose  these  people  think  a  word  may  strike  somebody 
now  and  then  just  by  accident. 

"  The  same  thing  was  repeated  all  over  the  room,  so  far  as  we  could 
observe ;  it  filled  the  air  with  noise,  but  nobody  paid  any  attention  to 
it,  and  all  seemed  to  be  enjoying  themselves.     The  place  was  crowded. 


IN    THE    STADTPAKK. 


486  THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN   CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

and  the  waiters  were  rushing  about,  receiving  and  tilling  orders*;  they 
seemed  to  be  the  only  ones  in  the  place  who  were  not  talking,  and  I 
suppose  they  did  not  have  time  to  talk. 

"Doctor  lironson  says  he  has  seen  at  a  grand  banquet  in  Austria 
something  very  like  what  we  saw  in  the  restaurant.  In  the  banqueting- 
hall,  where  perhaps  two  hundred  people  were  seated,  there  were  at 
times  half  a  dozen  speakers  on  their  feet  at  once,  each  making  his  speech, 
which  was  heard  only  by  those  within  a  few  yards  of  him.  Those 
who  were  not  actually  close  to  one  of  these  speakers  paid  no  attention 
to  the  oratory,  but  went  on  talking  as  though  nothing  had  happened  to 
disturb  them  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  feast." 

Doctor  Bronson  explained  to  Mrs.  Eassett  that  it  is  the  custom  of  a 
considerable  part  of  the  population  of  Vienna  to  take  its  meals  at  res- 
taurants and  cafes,  and  this  custom  accounts  for  the  number  and  great 
capacity  of  these  establishments.  He  added  that  comparatively  few 
travellers  take  their  meals  at  the  hotels  where  they  stop  unless  ladies 
are  of  their  party,  and  not  always  in  that  case.  The  charges  at  the 
hotels  are  somewhat  higher  than  at  the  restaurants,  and  hence  the 
tendency  of  the  traveller  to  go  outside  for  his  meals. 

Frank  called  his  mother's  attention  to  a  peculiarity  of  the  restau- 
rants of  Vienna  —  or,  rather,  of  the  largest  of  them  —  in  having  one 
waiter  to  bring  food  and  another  to  bring  drink  to  the  same  table.  The 
first  is  called  sjyeise-kelhier  (food- waiter),  and  the  other  the  trinh-hdlner 
(drink-waiter).  Ask  the  former  to  bring  a  glass  of  beer,  and  he  will 
shout  for  the  other,  or  perhaps  he  will  pay  no  attention  whatever  to  the 
request;  and  the  same  is  the  case  with  the  trink-Jcdlner  if  he  is  asked  to 
bring  a  plate  of  roast-beef  or  any  other  article  of  food.  The  custom  is 
a  perplexity  to  strangers,  and  sometimes  causes  a  loss  of  temper  when 
the  system  is  not  comprehended  to  its  full  extent. 

"I  was  in  Vienna  during  the  great  exhibition  of  1S73,"  said  Doctor 
Bronson,  "  and  witnessed  many  a  display  of  indignation  on  the  part  of 
English  and  American  visitors,  who  would  address  their  inquiries  to  the 
wrong  waiters.  If  the  man  explained  the  situation  his  explanation  was 
in  German,  which  the  stranger  rarely  understood.  The  latter  would 
wait  a  few  moments,  and,  on  seeing  no  indication  of  an  intent  to 
carry  out  his  orders,  he  would  lose  his  temper,  and,  as  the  phrase  is  in 
America,  '  raise  a  row."  The  first  scene  of  the  kind  that  came  before 
me  made  such  a  forcible  impression  that  I  have  never  forgotten  it.  and 
if  I  had  been  inclined  to  do  so  the  subsequent  ones  would  have  com- 
pelled me  to  remember  it." 


A   FOREIGNERS   TROUBLE. 


4S7 


"  Please  tell  us  about  it,''  said  Mary. 

"  It  was  the  morning  after  my  arrival  in  Vienna,"  said  the  Doctor. 
"  I  went  to  take  breakfast  in  a  restaurant,  and  had  just  given  my  order 
when  two  men,  one  English  and  the  other  American,  entered  the  place 
together  and  sat  down  at  a  table  near  me.  The  speise-kdlner  was  ab- 
sent, to  get  what  I  had  ordered.  One  of  the  strangers  beckoned  to  the 
trink-kellner,  and  briefly  commanded : 

" '  Schwei  bifteks,  mil  spiegel  eier1  (two  beefsteaks,  with  poached  eggs). 

"  The  man  briefly  said  that  he  was  the  trink-kellner,  and  then  re- 
turned to  his  place  by  the  window,  where  he  was  chatting  with  another 
waiter — probably  the  trink-kellner  of  the  next  series  of  tables. 

•'  The  strangers  were  vexed  that  he  did  not  go  to  execute  their  or- 
ders. They  vented  their  displeasure  in  comments  the  reverse  of  com- 
plimentary; then  they  summoned  him  again,  and  repeated  their  order 
with  a  great  deal  of  emphasis.  The  man  responded,  as  before,  that  he 
was  the  trink-kellner,  and  returned  to  his  place  by  the  window  and  his 
talk  with  his  comrade,  who  was  equally  idle. 

"  Then  the  storm  broke  out.  The  Englishman  rose  from  his  seat, 
went  to  where  the  waiter  stood,  and  again  ordered  two  beefsteaks  with 


PfM^ 


KATHHAUS    (tOWX-HALL). 


4SS       THE  BUY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

poached  eggs  in  tones  that  could  have  been  beard  a  block  away.  The 
waiter  looked  steadily  at  him  without  moving  a  muscle,  the  Englishman 
shook  his  list  in  the  waiter's  face,  and  there  was  a  good  prospect  of  a 
light  then  and  there.  Meantime  the  American  rushed  to  the  other  end 
of  the  room  seeking  for  some  one  in  authority,  and  fortunately  found 
the  head-waiter.  Fortunately,  too,  the  head-waiter  spoke  English,  and 
was  able  to  explain  matters ;  and  the  Englishman  was  soothed,  and  re- 
turned to  his  seat  without  striking  a  blow.  Just  then  the  speise-kellner 
came  with  what  I  had  ordered,  and  was  able  to  give  proper  attention 
to  the  foreigners,  so  that  in  a  little  while  peace  and  quiet  existed  as 
before,  and  hunger  was  satisfied." 

When  our  friends  were  ready  to  settle  their  bill  and  depart,  the  Doc- 
tor rapped  on  the  table  two  or  three  times,  and  called  out  "Zalilen  .'" 
immediately  after  rapping.  He  explained  that  this  was  to  call  another 
functionary  of  the  establishment — the  zald-kelhier.  or  pay-waiter,  who 
receives  the  money  due  for  food  or  drink. 

'•Then  you  don't  pay  the  waiter  who  has  served  you,  as  you  do  in 
Paris,  London,  or  New  York,"  said  Mrs.  Bassett,  in  a  tone  of  surprise. 

"Ko,"  was  the  reply;  "the  man  you  see  there  with  the  small  leath- 
ern bag  slung  from  his  shoulder  is  the  zaM-kdlner.  and  that  bag  serves 
the  double  purpose  of  holding  his  small  change  and  being  a  badge  of 
office.  Another  badge  is  the  memorandum  pad  and  pencd  which  are 
used  in  footing  up  the  accounts.     Here  he  comes." 

As  the  Doctor  spoke  he  rapped  again  and  called  out  as  before,  and 
in  a  moment  the  pay-waiter  was  at  his  side.  Doctor  Bronson  named 
over  the  articles  they  had  obtained,  the  man  footed  them  up  with  light- 
ning-like rapidity,  and  placed  the  slip  of  paper  on  the  table,  at  the  same 
time  naming  the  amount.  A  Horin  note  was  tendered,  change  was 
quickly  made,  and  the  Doctor  gathered  up  the  coins  before  him  with  the 
exception  of  a  few  coppers,  which  were  quickly  swept  into  a  leathern 
bag  with  a  "  Dank  yer,  saer  "  (Thank  you,  sir).  The  next  moment  the 
zahl-hellner  was  at  another  table,  where  he  went  through  a  similar  per- 
formance and  with  the  same  celerity. 

"  How  does  he  know  that  you  told  him  correctly  as  to  what  we 
owed '."  Mrs.  Bassett  asked.  "  He  just  took  your  Avord  for  it  as  you 
named  over  the  things  we  ordered,  and  he  didn't  ask  the  waiter  or  any 
one  else  whether  you  might  be  cheating." 

'•  That  has  always  been  a  puzzle  to  me,"  the  Doctor  answered.  "  The 
zahl-keUrter  goes  rapidly  from  table  to  table,  takes  on  trust  the  state- 
ments of  customers,  ami  never,  so  far  as  I  have  heard,  makes  any  ques- 


HONESTY  IN  THE  AUSTRIAN   CAPITOL. 


489 


2-*^  s 


'f  Jf^w 


tion  as  to  their  correctness.  Very 
often  when  a  settlement  is  made 
the  waiters  are  not  present,  and 
I  have  never  seen  them  called  to 
verify  or  correct  a  customer's  ac- 
count. I  have  come  to  the  con- 
clusion that  the  people  of  Vienna 
are  more  honest  than  those  of 
other  cities,  or  they  would  not 
be  trusted  as  they  are.  If  such 
a  system  were  adopted  in  the 
restaurants  of  London  or  Xew 
York  I'm  afraid  there  would  be 
a  great  deal  of  —  well,  we  will 
call  it  forgetfulness,  though  I 
had  a  shorter  word  in  mind." 

The  rest  of  the  party  agreed 
with  the  more  experienced  Doc- 
tor, who  narrated  another  illustration  of  the  honesty  of  the  Viennese. 

•'When  I  was  here  in  1S73.  I  used  to  £ro  often  to  the  Blumensaale, 


CAFE    CONCF.RT,    VIENNA. 


490       THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

the  Nieue  Welt,  and  other  gardens  and  halls  where  there  was  music  in 
the  evening.  They  are  immense  establishments,  where  many  hundreds 
of  people  can  be  entertained  at  once.  The  restaurants  and  beer-halls 
are  very  large,  people  sit  at  the  tables  or  stroll  among  the  trees,  and 
sometimes  there  mav  be  three  or  four  thousand  of  them  congregated 
together.  When  two  or  three  persons  were  sitting  at  a  table  and  wished 
to  stroll  for  a  little  while  and  then  return  to  their  places,  they  would 
leave  a  cigar-case,  a  pocket-knife,  or  something  of  the  sort  on  the  table, 
and  then  walk  away  in  the  most  trusting  confidence  that  the  article 
would  remain  there  till  their  return,  and  their  right  to  the  table  would 
be  respected  by  everybody  in  the  place." 

"I  wouldn't  like  to  try  the  experiment  in  any  public  resort  in  or 
around  New  York,"  said  Fred,  "  unless  I  had  something  in  my  pocket 
that  I  wished  to  be  rid  of  forever." 

"Xorl,"  echoed  Frank.  Mrs.  Bassett  and  Mary  agreed  with  the 
youths,  and  so  did  the  Doctor.  Then  Mrs.  Bassett  asked  how  it  hap- 
pened that  the  waiter  was  not  there  at  the  time  of  the  settlement  of 
their  bill  in  order  to  receive  his  gratuity. 

"That  is  all  included  in  the  gratuity  I  gave  the  zahMcettner"  said 
the  Doctor,  "  though  sometimes  a  small  fee  is  given  to  the  waiter  in 
addition.  The  zalil  -kellner  pays  the  waiters  for  their  services,  and 
gets  his  own  compensation  in  addition  out  of  the  gratuities  he  receives 
from  customers,  and  sometimes  he  pays  a  premium  for  his  situation. 
The  proprietor  of  the  restaurant  gets  the  services  of  all  his  waiters 
for  nothing  so  far  as  his  own  pocket  is  concerned,  and  quite  likely 
he  receives  one  or  two  thousand  dollars  a  year  as  premium  for  the 
zahl -kellners  place.  All  comes  from  the  pockets  of  the  patrons  of 
the  establishment,  in  the  shape  of  the  gratuities  that  accompany  the 
payment  of  each  bill." 

Mrs.  Bassett  wondered  why  the  dry-goods  stores,  the  boot  and  shoe 
stores,  and  all  other  shops  and  stores  of  every  name  and  kind  did  not 
adopt  the  plan  of  restaurants  and  beer-halls,  and  require  their  patrons  to 
pay  the  wages  of  their  salesmen  in  the  manner  described.  She  ad- 
dressed her  conundrum  to  Doctor  Bronson,  who  instantly  said  he  would 
prefer  something  not  so  difficult  to  answer.  Up  to  our  last  dates  from 
the  travelling  party  he  had  not  solved  the  problem,  and  until  he  does  so 
we  cannot  enlighten  the  reader  concerning  it. 

On  the  following  morning  the  party  breakfasted  together  as  usual, 
and  then  went  out  for  a  walk  to  St.  Stephen's  Church  and  its  neighbor- 
hood.    They  entered  the  church  and  admired  its  noble  proportions,  and 


SHOPPING   ON   THE   GRABEN. 


491 


it  did  not  take  long  for  them  to  understand  why  the  people  of  Vienna 
are  so  warmly  attached  to  this  venerable  edifice. 

From  the  church  they  went  to  the  Graben,  which  is  a  short  and 
broad  street,  and  also  a  busy  one.  It  is  the  favorite  shopping-place,  and 
even  at  the  early  hour  when  our  friends  went  there  it  was  filled  with 
people.  Frank  explained  to  his  mother  that  in  the  twelfth  century  the 
Graben  was  the  moat  of  the  fortifications  of  Vienna,  and  the  houses  on 
the  northern  side  occupied  the  site  of  the  ancient  wall.  "  Some  of  the 
buildings  are  hundreds  of  years  old,''  said  he ;  "  but  they  are  disappear- 
ing year  by  year,  to  make  way  for  newer  and  more  spacious  ones.  By 
the  end  of  the  century  there  will  be  very  few  of  the  old  structures 
remaining,  if  new  buildings  rise  at  their  present  rate." 

"  Probably  they  will  keep  the  monument  and  fountains  in  the  mid- 
dle of  the  street,''  said  Mrs.  Bassett,  "  as  they  can't  very  well  put  any 
houses  where  they  are.  What  is  that  curious  structure  that  looks  like  a 
lot  of  clouds  with  figures  among  them  V 

••  That  is  the  Trinity  Column,"  was  the  reply ;  "  and  it  was  built 
about  two  hundred  years  ago,  in  commemoration  of  the  cessation  of  the 


RADETZKY    BRIDUE    AND    FRANZ    JOSEF    BARRACKS. 


plague.  Those  fountains  on  either  side  of  the  Trinity  Column  are  of 
much  later  date  than  the  central  monument,  and  the  figures  upon  them 
belong  to  the  present  century.  Down  to  and  during  the  eighteenth 
century  the  Graben  was  the  market-place  of  Vienna,  and  in  the  early 


492       THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

hours  of  every  day  it  was  crowded  with  sellers  of  eggs,  poultry,  milk, 

vegetables,  meat,  and  other  articles  of  food;  but  as  soon  as  il  became 
fashionable  the  markets  were  sent  elsewhere." 

The  walk  through  the  Graben  was  a  very  slow  one.  as  the  eyes  of 
Mrs.  l»assett  and  her  daughter  were  constantly  drawn  towards  the  win- 
dows of  the  shops,  Avhere  many  attractions  were  displayed.  Mrs.  15as- 
sett  asked  what  were  the  specialties  of  Vienna  in  the  way  of  goods. 
Mary  promptly  answered  that  Russia-leather  was  the  leading  one,  the 
others  being  carpets,  jewelry,  silver  and  other  plate,  and  meerschaum; 
whereupon  Mrs.  Bassett  said  she  would  look  for  Russia -leather,  as  it 
was  something  of  which  she  was  specially  fond. 

Had  she  postponed  the  question  for  half  an  hour  she  would  have 
had  no  need  to  ask  it,  as  the  number  of  the  shops  for  the  sale  of  Rus- 
sia-leather, and  the  abundance,  variety,  and  beauty  of  the  goods  would 
have  told  her  in  unmistakable  terms.  A^ienna  has  virtually  a  monopoly 
of  the  trade  in  this  article,  as  its  goods  have  a  higher  reputation  than 
any  other,  and  for  a  long  time  they  were  the  only  goods  of  Russia-leath- 
er that  reached  the  market  at  all.  Frank  made  inquiries  on  the  sub- 
ject, and  wrote  the  following  note: 

"Austria  exports  annually  leather  goods  to  the  value  of  sixteen 
million  florins  ($8,000,000).  Nearly  all  the  leather  is  tanned  in  the 
dominions  of  the  Czar,  and  is,  therefore,  '  real '  Russian — at  least,  that  is 
what  the  dealers  tell  you.  I  have  heard  that  a  considerable  part  of  it 
is  made  in  other  countries,  the  secret  of  the  tanning  having  been  ob- 
tained, as  many  other  secrets  are  often  obtained  in  Russia,  by  the  pay- 
ment of  money  to  those  who  possess  it. 

"The  variety  of  things  they  make  out  of  this  leather  is  almost  end- 
less, and  the  sight  of  the  goods  in  the  shops  is  bewildering.  I  expect 
that  mamma  and  Man*  will  make  extensive  purchases,  and  our  friends  at 
home  may  look  for  a  good  many  presents  in  Russia-leather  about  next 
Christmas." 


A  WALK  THROUGH  THE  KOHLMARKT. 


493 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

IN  THE  KOHLMARKT.— HOFBURG.— AMALIEXHOF.  — RITTERSAAL.—  THE  IMPERIAL 
LIBRARY,  AND  WHAT  WAS  SEEN  THERE.— THE  TREASURY.— THE  FLORENTINE 
DIAMOND  AND  ITS  HISTORY. —  CHARLEMAGNE'S  IMPERIAL  REGALIA.  — THE 
GOLDEN  FLEECE.— BURG  THEATRE.— TERRIBLE  DISASTER  AT  THE  RING  THEA- 
TRE.—A  DRIVE  TO  THE  PRATER.— IN  THE  GREAT  PARK  OF  VIENNA.— ANTIQ- 
UITY OF  THE  PRATER;  ITS  HISTORY  FOR  800  YEARS.— HACPT-ALLEE  AND  NO- 
BEL-PRATER.—AN  ARISTOCRATIC  RESORT.— CONSTANTINE  HILL.— A  VIEW  OF 
THE  EMPEROR.— CHAT  ABOUT  THE  IMPERIAL  FAMILY.— THE  WURSTEL-PRATER. 
—POPULAR  AMUSEMENTS.— VOTIVE  CHURCH.— THE  EMPRESS. 

FROM  the  Graben  our  friends  walked  through  the  Kohlmarkt,  an- 
other fashionable  and  busy  street,  and,  like  the  Graben,  lined  with 
shops  from  one  end  to  the  other.     Frank  had  selected  this  route,  partly 


THE    IMPERIAL    MUSEUMS. 


in  order  to  gratify  the  desires  of  his  mother  and  sister  to  see  the  shop- 
ping facilities  of  Vienna,  and  partly  because  it  led  in  the  direction  of 
the  Hofburg,  or  imperial  palace,  which  all  wanted  to  see. 

"  They  call  it  Kohlmarkt,"  said  Mrs.  Bassett,  "  and  I  suppose  that 


494        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

means  'coal  market.'  But  I  haven't  seen  a  sign  of  any  place  for  selling 
coal  since  we  started  on  our  walk." 

"Coal  is  not  sold  here  now,"  was  the  reply,  "nor  has  it  been  for 
centuries.  In  the  thirteenth  century  it  was  called  Holzmarkt  (wood 
market),  and  was  actually  the  place  where  wood  was  sold.  A  hundred 
3Tears  later  the  name  was  changed  to  the  present  one,  and  for  a  time 
it  indicated  the  business  conducted  here,  but  that  ended  long  ago." 

Following  the  Kohlmarkt  our  friends  came  to  the  Ilofburg,  or  im- 
perial palace,  which  is  at  first  somewhat  disappointing  to  the  stranger, 
•who  has  become  accustomed  to  the  magniticent  buildings  along  the 
Ringstrasse,  and  looks  for  something  that  will  fairly  bewilder  him 
when  he  reaches  the  abode  of  the  imperial  family.  This  was  the  case 
with  Mrs.  Bassett  and  Mary.  Frank  explained  that  the  imperial  palace 
was  not  a  modern  structure,  like  most  of  the  buildings  they  had  seen, 
but  an  irregular  pile  belonging  to  several  different  epochs. 

"It  is  large  enough,  certainly,"  said  Mrs.  Bassett ;  "and  perhaps  it 
is  all  the  more  picturescpte  with  its  irregularity.  How  old  is  the  oldest 
part  of  the  palace  \    It  must  be  very  ancient." 

"I  cannot  say  exactly,"  replied  Frank,  "but  according  to  history 
the  Austrian  princes  have  made  this  their  home  since  the  thirteenth 
century.  Perhaps  there  is  no  part  of  the  structure  that  dates  from  the 
beginning  of  their  residence  here,  but  there  is  a  goodly  portion  that  can 
boast  of  an  age  of  not  less  than  two  or  three  hundred  years. 

"  For  example,  there  is  the  Amalienhof.  or  Amalien  Palace,  which 
is  now  occupied  by  the  Empress,  and  contains  some  of  the  imperial  of- 
fices. It  was  built  near  the  end  of  the  seventeenth  century,  though  it 
was  begun  in  the  sixteenth.  The  four  sides  of  the  great  palace  belong 
to  different  periods  and  almost  to  as  many  centuries,  the  one  to  the 
east  dating  from  the  early  part  of  the  fourteenth  century,  or  possibly 
the  end  of  the  thirteenth." 

"  What  volumes  of  history  must  be  associated  with  this  palace !" 
Mary  exclaimed,  as  she  stood  before  the  home  of  the  Hapsburgs  and 
carried  her  eyes  slowly  from  the  base  to  the  top  of  the  building. 

"  Yes,"  said  Frank ;  "  the  whole  history  of  the  Empire  of  Austria 
may  be  said  to  have  its  centre  here.  Shut  your  eyes  and  think  of 
Maria  Theresa  receiving  the  homage  of  the  Austrian  princes  in  the  old 
Residenz,  or  of  Josef  II.  granting  audience  to  all  comers  in  the  Con- 
trolor  corridor.  There  is  the  magnificent  Rittersaal.  where  a  long  line 
of  kings  and  emperors  has  walked  and  stood.  There  are  the  windows 
which  were  shattered  by  revolutionists  during  the  stormy  times  of  1S4S, 


THE   HOME  OF  THE  HAPSBURGS. 


495 


and  the  square  where  we  are  standing  has  seen  many  a  military  assem- 
blage, and  witnessed  many  a  royal  or  imperial  departure  for  scenes  of 
war.  jSTo  wonder  the  Hapsburgs  are  proud  of  their  lineage,  as  it  is  the 
oldest  imperial  family  of  Europe,  and  there  is  less  in  its  history  that 


si  a  ra  c5i  m  i  1  isa !  -  m  firtrtjfe^f^ 


iiiitvm 


■'•';i"-t':S 


ELIZABETH    BRIDGE    AND    KARNTHNERSTRASSE. 


any  one  of  them  might  wish  to  forget  than  in  that  of  most  of  the  im- 
perial and  royal  families  of  the  world." 

After  looking  at  the  statues  which  adorn  the  square  in  front  of  the 
palace,  and  studying  the  exterior  of  the  buildings,  our  friends  proceeded 
to  the  inspection  of  such  of  them  as  were  open  to  the  public.  They 
made  a  brief  visit  to  the  Imperial  Library,  but  it  is  safe  to  say  they  did 
not  specially  look  at  all  of  the  300,000  volumes  and  20,000  manuscripts 
that  the  library  contains.  They  paused  in  front  of  the  case  which  is 
said  to  contain  a  Psalter  which  was  printed  in  1457  by  Schaffer  and 
Faust,  and  a  copy  of  the  very  oldest  edition  of  the  Biblia  Pauperum, 
printed  in  1430.  Mary  wished  she  could  be  allowed  to  carry  away  a 
few  leaves  of  Tasso's  Jerusalem  Delivered,  which  were  in  the  author's 
own  writing,  and  Mrs.  Bassett  expressed  a  similar  desire  relative  to  the 


490       THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

prayer-book  of  Charles, V.  Fred  was  enthusiastic  over  the  collection  of 
engravings  and  wood-cuts,  which  comprises  300,000  specimens,  from  the 
earliest  to  the  latest,  and  all  of  them  interesting. 

Then  they  saw  the  natural  history  and  mineral  collections,  which 
are  in  the  same  building;  and  thus  Frank  shrewdly  led  the  way  to  the 
Treasury,  which  is  the  most  interesting  of  all  the  imperial  collections  of 
Vienna.     Here  is  what  Mary  said  about  it : 

"  I  cannot  begin  to  tell  a  quarter — no,  not  the  hundredth  or  the  thou- 
sandth part  of  what  we  saw  there,  and  if  I  did  I  should  tell  altogether 
too  much  for  your  patience.  "When  we  entered  we  found  ourselves  in  a 
hall  with  long  walls,  and  on  these  walls  were  the  robes  of  the  heralds 
for  I  don't  know  how  many  reigns  of  the  imperial  house.  The  embroid- 
ery on  some  of  these  robes  was  wonderful,  and  mamma  lingered  over 
them  with  many  expressions  of  admiration.  You  know  she  is  very 
proud  of  what  she  can  do  with  her  needle,  and  she  says  that  embroidery 
always  interests  her  very  much,  as  she  is  constantly  learning  new  stitches, 
which  she  will  try  when  she  s;ets  home. 

"  While  mamma  was  looking  at  the  heralds'  robes  I  strolled  a  little 
farther  on,  and  came  to  something  you  couldn't  guess  in  a  dozen  guesses. 
It  was  a  case  containing  the  keys  of  the  coffins  of  the  ancestors  of  the 
imperial  family.  Frank  suggested  that  they  didn't  appear  to  be  used 
often,  and  I  shouldn't  suppose  they  would  be. 

"  We  were  all  curious  to  see  the  Austrian  crown  jewels,  which  are 
kept  here  and  are  of  enormous  value — exactly  how  much  they  are  worth 
I  couldn't  begin  to  figure  out.  Among  the  imperial  gems  is  the  cel- 
ebrated Florentine  diamond,  which  has  a  curious  history.     It  belonged 

to  Charles  the  Bold,  and  was  in  his  possession 
when  he  was  killed  on  the  battle-field  of 
Nancy.  It  was  picked  up  by  a  peasant,  who 
sold  it  for  a  florin  to  a  travelling  merchant 
from  Berne.  The  merchant  sold  it  for  con- 
siderable profit,  and  after  a  long  series  of  ad- 
ventures, which  I  haven't  time  to  tell,  the 

the  Florentine  pumond.  stone  came  into  the  possession  of  the  Austrian 

Government.  It  weighs  133  carats,  and  is 
said  to  be  worth  sl00,000,  though  I  doubt  if  the  Government  would  sell 
it  for  twice  that  figure  if  any  one  should  offer  it. 

"  We  saw  the  Emperor's  crown,  sceptre,  and  imperial  globe — all  of 
them  set  with  precious  stones  very  attractive  to  ordinary  eyes.  I  ob- 
served that  there  was  a  crowd  of  people  around  the  cases  where  the 


THE  ORDER  OF  THE  GOLDEN  FLEECE.  497 

jewels  were  displayed — in  fact,  the  imperial  jewels  seemed  to  be  the  prin- 
cipal attraction  of  the  place.  There  is  a  fine  collection  of  the  decorations 
of  different  orders,  the  most  dazzling  of  all  being  that  of  the  Golden 
Fleece,  which  is  composed  of  150  diamonds,  with  a  stone  Weighing  forty- 
two  carats  in  the  centre.  Frank  declares  himself  to  be  a  genuine 
American.  He  has  no  particular  leaning  towards  foreign  orders  and 
decorations,  but  he  confesses  that  he  Avould  like  to  have  this  particular 
decoration  of  the  order  of  the  Golden  Fleece,  just  for  the  sake  of  the 
diamonds  in  it  and  the  gold  in  which  they  are  set. 

"  Then  Frank  asked  if  I  could  tell  anything  about  the  Golden  Fleece, 
and  the  origin  of  the  order  of  that  name. 

"  I  replied  that  I  could.     And  here  is  what  I  told  him  : 

"  The  ancient  Greeks  had  a  tradition  that  there  was  in  a  distant 
country  a  golden  fleece,  which  was  guarded  by  a  sleepless  dragon.  The 
King  of  Greece  commissioned  his  nephew,  Jason,  to  go  in  search  of 
that  fleece  and  bring  it  home.  Jason  caused  the  Argo  to  be  built  and 
manned  by  fifty  of  the  bravest  men  he  could  find,  and  when  all  was 
ready  they  sailed  away.  From  the  name  of  their  ship  they  were  called 
'  the  Argonauts.'  Some  people  think  that  the  Argo  was  the  first  ship 
built,  and  the  Argonauts  were  the  first  sailors.  The  adventui'es  of  the 
Argonauts  have  been  told  by  Homer,  and  other  poets  and  his'torians. 

"  Frank  said  my  story  was  historically  correct  thus  far,  but  he  wanted 
to  know  what  it  had  to  do  with  the  decoration  that  we  Avere  looking  at. 

"  I  told  him  that  the  order  of  knighthood  bearing  the  name  of  the 
Golden  Fleece  was  founded  by  Philip  III.,  Duke  of  Burgundy  and  the 
Netherlands,  at  Bruges,  on  January  10,  1-120,  on  the  occasion  of  his 
marriage  with  Isabella,  daughter  of  King  John  I.  of  Portugal.  The  order 
was  established  in  the  interest  of  the  Catholic  Church,  and  the  fleece 
was  adopted  as.  its  emblem,  partly  on  account  of  its  heroic  history  and 
partly  because  wool  was  such  a  large  part  of  the  material  of  manufact- 
ure in  the  Netherlands.  "When  the  order  was  established  the  founder 
named  himself  grand -master,  and  he  limited  the  number  of  knights 
to  twenty-four,  but  after  his  death  it  was  increased.  The  order  has 
descended  from  its  founder  to  the  present  reigning  Houses  of  Spain  and 
Austria.  The  King  of  Spain  and  the  Emperor  of  Austria  are  the  only 
sovereigns  who  can  confer  the  title,  and  they  cannot  confer  it  upon  a 
Protestant  without  obtaining  the  consent  of  the  Pope. 

"  Frank  said  that  would  do  for  the  Golden  Fleece,  and  he  was  ready 
to  look  at  something  else,  although  he  again  cast  a  longing  eye  at  the 
splendid  and  very  costly  decoration  that  I  mentioned. 


498 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IX  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


THE    "ARGO." 


"  We  saw  the  baptismal  robes  of  all  the  imperial  infants  for  a  long 
time,  and  with  them  the  baptismal  vessels,  which  can  only  be  used  for 
imperial  babies.  Then  came  the  state  swords  used  at  coronations,  the 
coronation  robes,  and  the  silver-gilt  cradle  of  the  King  of  Rome.  It  is 
a  cradle  of  no  ordinary  kind,  as  it  is  said  to  weigh  500  pounds  ;  but 
mamma  said  the  royal  child  would  have  slept  just  as  well  in  a  cradle 
such  as  you  could  buy  at  any  well-stocked  house-furnishing  store  for  a 
dollar  or  two,  and  perhaps  a  great  deal  better. 

"  "We  saw  something  that  carried  us  away  back  into  history-  It  was 
a  collection  of  memorials  of  the  Holy  Roman  Empire,  which  were  once 
kept  at  Aix-la-Chapelle  and  afterwards  at  Nuremberg.  There  was  the 
crown  of  Charlemagne,  with  his  sceptre  and  imperial  robes,  and  there 
were  the  swords  of  Charlemagne  and  St.  Mauritius,  and  several  other 
antique  relics  that  I  can't  remember.     I  was  also  very  much  interested 


THEATRES  OP  VIENNA. 


499 


when  I  saw  the  sword  of  Haroun-al-Easchid,  the  great  Moslem  warrior, 
who  nourished  more  than  a  thousand  years  ago.  Frank  said  he  had 
many  doubts  as  to  the  genuineness  of  the  relic,  but  it  is  just  as  well  to 
accept  the  tradition  ;  and  certainly  the  sword  may  have  belonged  to  the 
great  defender  of  the  faith  of  Islam,  and  been  wielded  in  the  battles 
that  he  fought." 

This  ended  Mary's  account  of  the  visit  to  the  imperial  treasury,  and 
of  some  of  the  things  that  they  saw  there. 

"  The  description  of  the  Hofburg  would  be  incomplete,"  said  Fred, 
"  if  the  Burg  Theatre  should  be  left  out.  But  thei'e  is  a  possibility  of 
confusion,  since  there  are  two  theatres  of  that  name — the  old  and  the 
new.  The  Old  one  is  in  the  palace,  and  is  very  small.  The  new  theatre 
is  a  large  and  handsome  building,  and  for  the  future  visitor  will  be  the 
Burg  Theatre  of  the  Austrian  capital.  It  is  built  of  white  stone  from 
the  foundations  upward,  and  is  adorned  with  statuary  relating  to  dra- 
matic art.  There  are  busts  of  Shakespeare,  Calderon,  Moliere,  Schiller, 
Goethe,  Lessing,  and  others  whose  names  are  famous  ;  and  also  those  of 
the  Austrian  dramatic  poets,  Debbel,  Grillparzer,  and  Halm.   Then  there 


HOFBCKG    THEATRE. 


are  busts,  pictures,  medallions,  and  the  like,  of  famous  characters  in 
tragedy  and  comedy  ;  and  it  is  evident  to  the  most  casual  observer  that 
the  plans  for  the  theatre  were  made  with  the  greatest  care,  and  by  men 


of  the  highest  architectural  intelligence." 


500        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

"  I  thought  the  Burg  Theatre  was  burned,"  said  Mrs.  Bassett,  "  and 
many  lives  were  lost.     Was  that  so  ?" 

"  It  was  the  Eing  Theatre,  not  the  Burg,"  said  Frank.  "  It  was 
burned  in  December,  1881,  with  a  loss  of  580  lives  —  one  of  the  most 
terrible  accidents  that  ever  took  place  in  a  theatre." 

"  Have  they  built  a  new  one  in  place  of  it  ?" 

"No,"  was  the  reply.  "Every  stone  of  the  building  was  removed, 
and  on  its  site  there  is  an  edifice  that  was  built  by  the  Emperor  from 
his  private  funds,  and  endowed  from  the  same  source.  It  is  dedicated 
to  charitable  purposes,  and  contains  many  apartments,  which  are  rented 
to  families  and  individuals.  The  revenue  from  these  rentals  is  devoted 
to  the  charities  named  by  the  Emperor ;  they  include,  among  other 
things,  pensions  for  the  immediate  dependants  of  some  of  those  who 
perished  in  the  fire  when  the  theatre  was  destroyed." 

Our  friends  had  been  for  some  time  on  their  feet,  and  were  naturally 
a  little  weary ;  accordine-lv,  Frank  su»'crested  that  a  drive  would  be  in 
order,  and  a  carriage  was  speedily  engaged.  As  Mrs.  Bassett  settled 
into  her  place  on  the  cushions  she  intimated  that  she  would  like  to  see 
the  Prater.  She  had  heard  that  it  was  one  of  the  finest  parks  in  the 
world,  and  felt  sure  that  a  drive  through  it  would  be  delightful. 

"  It  certainly  ought  to  be  a  fine  park,"  said  Mary.  "  if  what  I  have 
read  of  it  is  true." 

"What  was  that?"  Mrs.  Bassett  asked. 

"  That  it  has  been  a  park  for  eight  hundred  years."  was  the  reply. 
"  I  wonder  if  that  is  really  so '.  Eight  hundred  years  for  one  park  !  It 
seems  impossible  to  believe  the  story." 

"  You  are  right  and  wrong  at  the  same  time."  said  Frank,  in  response 
to  his  sister's  interrogation.  "  The  Prater  has  been  the  property  of  the 
imperial  family  and  their  predecessors  since  the  eleventh  century,  and 
they  used  it  for  their  court  festivals,  fireworks,  promenades,  and  hunt- 
ing-parties. It  was  a  park,  but  not  a  public  one,  as  it  was  entirely  closed 
to  all  but  the  imperial  family  and  their  friends,  and  such  persons  as  had 
special  permission  from  the  chief  falconer  to  go  there.  In  the  months 
of  May  and  June  the  nobles  and  distinguished  strangers  were  allowed 
tn  drive  through  the  Prater,  but  this  permission  was  refused  to  any 
common  mortal,  with  very  rare  exceptions."' 

"  How  long  did  this  period  of  exclusion  last  C  queried  Mary. 

"For  seven  hundred  years."  replied  Frank,  "or  down  to  1776,  the 
year  of  the  declaration  of  independence  in  America  The  Emperor 
Josef  II.,  as  Prince-regent,  abolished  all  the  old  privileges,  and  officially 


THE  PRATER. 


501 


announced  that  from  that  time  the  public  should  have  free  entrance 
to  the  Prater  at  any  hour  of  the  day,  and  they  might  send  up  balloons, 
play  skittles,  or  amuse  themselves  in  certain  other  ways  which  were 
prescribed.  It  was  also  announced  that  the  landlords  of  inns  and  coffee- 
houses might  sell  wine,  beer,  and  coffee  there,  together  with  such  other 
things  as  were  usually  sold  in  taverns  and  restaurants.  One  part  of  the 
Prater  was  very  soon  devoted  to  shows  of  various  kinds,  and  they  are 
still  kept  up  there  in  what  is  known  as  the  Wurstel-Prater,  which  is  the 
resort  of  the  humbler  classes  of  the  population,  especially  on  Sundays." 


VIENNESE    FIACRE. 


Mrs.  Bassett  asked  if  it  would  be  proper  for  them  to  go  to  the  Wurs- 
tel-Prater, and  look  at  the  people  and  the  shows  that  entertain  them. 

"  Certainly  it  will,"  replied  Frank.  "  Everything  is  orderly  enough 
there,  and  you  will  be  reminded  of  Coney  Island  or  other  similar  resorts 
in  the  vicinity  of  Xew  York.  The  scene  is  interesting  enough — at  least, 
for  a  single  visit,  and  perhaps  for  more.'" 

It  was  decided  that  the  party  would  see  the  "Wurstel-Prater,  but  they 


502        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

agreed  that  before  doing  so  the  more  aristocratic  portion  of  the  park 
should  be  visited.  This  is  known  as  the  Nobel-Prater,  and,  like  all  the 
rest  of  the  great  resort,  is  prettily  laid  out.  It  is  crossed  by  a  magnifi- 
cent avenue  of  chestnut-trees,  and  on  pleasant  afternoons  this  avenue  is 
tilled  with  vehicles,  which  include  everything,  from  the  carriage  of  the 
Emperor  or  Empress  down  to  the  humble  tiacre  or  cab,  which  any  one 
who  has  the  money  to  pay  for  it  may  hire.  Frank  directed  their  driver 
to  take  this  avenue,  the  Ilaupt-Allee,  and  he  called  attention  to  the  cir- 
cumstance that  the  Prater  is  so  large  that  the  Ilaupt-Allee  is  three  miles 
long  and  as  straight  as  a  sunbeam.  It  begins  at  the  Prater-Stern,  where 
the  park  is  entered  from  the  city,  and  terminates  on  the  banks  of  the 
Danube,  on  the  other  side  of  the  grounds. 

As  they  rode  along,  Mrs.  Bassett  called  attention  to  the  great  size 
of  the  trees  in  the  Prater,  and  said  she  thought  she  had  never  before 
seen  such  a  fine  array  of  them  in  any  public  park  that  she  had  visited. 
"  It  seems  more  like  a  grand  old  forest  than  a  park,"  she  said,  "  and  it 
is  evident  that  they  have  taken  great  care  of  the  trees  during  all  the 
eight  hundred  years  that  you  mentioned." 

"  Yes,"  replied  Frank,  "  and  the  Viennese  are  justly  proud  of  the 
trees  that  you  see  all  around  you.  It  has  been  remarked  that  there 
would  be  no  more  certain  way  to  provoke  a  revolution  than  for  the 
Government  to  announce  that  the  trees  in  the  Prater  were  to  be  cut 
down  and  the  place  converted  into  an  open  field." 

"  It  would  certainly  be  sufficient  cause  for  rebellion,"  said  Mrs.  Bas- 
sett, "as  it  would  deprive  the  people  of  a  delightful  place  of  recreation. 
How  many  acres  of  ground  are  there  in  the  Prater '." 

"  Four  thousand  two  hundred  and  seventy  acres,"  replied  Frank. 

"  Is  there  any  other  cit3r  park  that  equals  it  in  size  '(" 

"I  believe  not."  the  youth  answered.  "The  Bois  de  Boulogne  of 
Paris  contains  2500  acres;  Central  Park,  New  York,  6S0  acres;  Pros- 
pect Park,  Brooklyn,  550  acres ;  Fairmount  Park,  Philadelphia,  2700 
acres ;  and  Hyde  Park,  London,  400  acres.  There  may  be  a  larger  city 
park  than  the  Prater,  but  I  don't  recall  one  at  present." 

Our  friends  went  to  the  end  of  the  great  drive,  and  then  returned 
to  Constantine  Hill,  which  is  situated  close  to  the  Ilaupt-Allee  and  is  a 
favorite  resort  of  fashionable  people.  It  is  an  artificial  mound  suggest- 
ive of  the  hill  near  the  cascade  in  the  Bois  de  Boulogne,  and  Mrs. 
Bassett  remarked  that  the  Viennese  had  been  very  successful  in  their 
efforts  at  making  something  picturesque  out  of  the  level  ground  of  the 
park.     The  carriage  stopped  in  front  of  one  of  the  restaurants  near  the 


A  FASHIONABLE   PROMENADE. 


503 


PROMENADE    IN    THE    TKATER. 


hill,  and  our  friends  secured  seats  where  they  could  study  the  people  of 
the  Austrian  capital  in  their  favorite  resort  of  an  afternoon.  They  had 
an  excellent  view  of  the  great  drive-way  with  its  rows  of  chestnut-trees, 
and  Mary  said  that  it  was  as  good  as  going  to  the  theatre,  or  looking 
through  a  kaleidoscope,  to  watch  the  endless  procession  of  carriages, 
pedestrians,  and  equestrians  that  passed  before  their  eyes. 

Presently  there  was  a  commotion  at  the  approach  of  a  carriage 
which  seemed  to  attract  more  attention  than  all  the  others.  Men 
paused  in  their  footsteps  and  lifted  their  hats,  and  of  course  our  friends 
turned  their  eyes  in  the  direction  where  everybody  else  was  looking. 


504        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

"That  is  the  Emperor:  I  know  him  by  his  portrait,"  said  Mary. 
Sure  enough,  it  was  His  Majesty,  the  ruler  of  the  Austro- Hungarian 
monarchy,  taking  his  customary  drive  in  the  Prater,  where  his  subjects 
could  see  and  salute  him.  He  was  in  military  uniform,  and  as  he  passed 
the  place  where  our  friends  were  standing  (they  had  risen  from  their 
seats  as  soon  as  it  was  known  that  he  was  coming),  his  hand  was  at  the 
side  of  his  cap  in  acknowledgment  of  the  salutations  of  the  people.  A 
moment  later  the  hand  fell,  only  to  rise  again  a  short  distance  farther  on. 

From  the  beginning  to  the  end  of  a  drive  in  public  the  Emperor  is 
kept  busy  in  acknowledging  the  demonstrations  of  respect  with  which 
he  is  always  greeted,  and  the  same  is  the  case  with  other  members  of 
the  imperial  family  whenever  they  take  an  outing  iu  the  Prater  or  along 
the  Bingstrasse,  as  they  do  very  often. 

Mrs.  Bassett  thought  that  such  constant  exercise  of  his  right  arm 
and  hand  must  be  very  wearying  to  His  Majesty,  and  the  others  agreed 
with  her.  Frank  said  it  was  one  of  the  penalties  connected  with  exalted 
position  everywhere :  the  higher  one's  station  in  life,  the  more  exacting 
are  its  duties;  and  those  who  imagine  that  an  emperor  has  nothing  to 
do  but  study  his  own  pleasure  are  very  wide  of  the  mark. 

"  I  am  told,"  said  Frank,  "  that  the  Emperor  is  one  of  the  hardest 
worked  men  in  the  Austro -Hungarian  Government.  He  rises  early, 
takes  a  cup  of  coffee  and  a  Vienna  roll,  walks  for  half  an  hour  in  the 
garden  if  the  weather  is  tine,  and  is  then  ready  for  business.  The  fore- 
noon is  devoted  to  interviews  with  his  ministers,  foreign  representatives, 
and  others,  to  the  consideration  of  matters  of  state,  and  to  any  other 
business  that  may  be  brought  tip.  Then  comes  the  substantial  break- 
fast, or  what  we  would  call  luncheon,  and.  after  it,  any  public  ceremo- 
nies which  are  on  the  imperial  programme ;  then  there  may  be  more 
receptions,  and,  after  them,  a  drive  in  the  Prater  or  elsewhere.  Then 
comes  dinner,  and  after  dinner  the  opera,  the  theatre,  or  some  other 
amusement,  with  possibly  an  hour  or  more  devoted  to  thinking  over 
important  questions  that  are  to  be  considered  on  the  following  day. 
Bedtime  comes  none  too  early,  and  the  wonder  is  that  the  Kaiser  has 
been  able  to  get  through  everything  set  down  for  the  twenty -four  hours 
of  the  day  without  breaking  down  long  ago.  But  he  has  been  Emperor 
for  more  than  forty  years  (since  1848),  and  is  in  good  health  yet." 

"I  wonder  if  he  gets  time  to  read  the  newspapers?"  said  Mrs.  Bas- 
sett, interrogatively,  as  Frank  paused. 

"  Xot  all  of  them,"  replied  Frank  ;  "  in  fact,  he  reads  very  few.  and 
the  one  that  he  reads  most  is  specially  prepared  for  him." 


AN  IMPERIAL  NEWSPAPER. 


505 


FRANCIS    JOSEPH    II.,  EMPEROR    OF   AUSTRIA. 


"How  is  that?" 

"  One  of  the  officials  connected  with  the  household  is  charged  with 
the  duty  of  condensing  the  news,  editorials,  and  other  matter  in  the 
principal  papers  of  the  empire  and  elsewhere,  exactly  as  the  editor  of 
any  newspaper  prepares  the  news  for  its  readers.  The  official  knows 
the  kind  of  intelligence  and  editorial  comment  that  the  Emperor  desires, 


506        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IX  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

and  he  performs  his  work  accordingly.  The  'copy'  that  he  prepares  is 
put  in  type  in  the  imperial  printing-office,  and  a  single  sheet  is  struck 
off  and  sent  at  once  to  His  Majesty.  He  generally  nails  it  on  his  re- 
turn from  his  walk  in  the  garden,  and  before  beginning  the  receptions 
of  his  ministers  and  others.  In  this  way  he  keeps  the  run  of  the  events 
of  the  time,  the  drift  of  popular  feeling,  the  politics  of  all  countries,  ami 
especially  of  the  events,  politics,  and  popular  drift  in  the  Austro-IIun- 
garian  monarchy  from  one  end  to  the  other." 

"  That  is  certainly  an  excellent  arrangement,"  said  Mrs.  Bassett.  as 
Frank  paused.  "But  it  is  only  an  emperor  who  can  have  a  paper  pre- 
pared and  printed  for  himself  alone.'' 

"It  is  an  expensive  luxury."  was  the  reply;  "but  something  of  the 
same  kind  is  done  by  all  royal  or  imperial  people,  and  also  by  many 
people  who  are  not  emperors,  kings,  or  even  princes  with  thrones  in 
prospect.  Every  crowned  head  of  Europe  or  other  country  has  the 
news  prepared  by  a  confidential  secretary  or  other  official,  though  I  be- 
lieve no  other  has  a  paper  specially  printed  for  his  own  use :  some- 
times it  is  prepared  in  the  form  of  scraps  pasted  on  sheets  of  white 
paper;  sometimes  important  passages  in  the  papers  are  marked. so  that 
the  eyes  for  whom  they  are  intended  do  not  have  to  look  for  what  is 
wanted;  sometimes  the  secretary  reads  the  news  aloud  to  His  or  Her 
Majesty,  selecting  what  he  deems  desirable,  and  naming  the  headlines 
only  of  matter  about  which  he  has  any  doubt.  Many  a  busy  man  of 
affairs  in  Europe  and  America  has  some  one  to  read  the  papers  and 
select  what  he  knows  his  employer  wants,  the  rest  being  discarded. 
And  many  a  man  in  ordinary  every-day  life  asks  his  wife,  son,  or 
daughter  to  'read  the  paper'  to  him.  and  thus  save  him  the  trouble. 
He  indicates  that  he  wants  the  shipping  news,  railway  accidents,  mar- 
riage notices,  movements  in  politics,  or  information  on  any  other  special 
topic,  and  the  reader  gives  him  what  he  wants  and  nothing  more.  So 
you  see  the  Emperor  Francis  Joseph,  is  like  the  rest  of  the  world 
after  all,  when  you  come  to  reflect." 

Mrs.  Bassett  acknowledged  the  correctness  of  the  assertion,  and  said 
it  was  something  she  had  never  thought  of. 

"When  their  visit  to  the  aristocratic  part  of  the  Prater  was  ended. 
the  party  went  on  the  proposed  inspection  of  the  Wurstel- Prater. 
The)'  found  it  cpiite  as  interesting  as  the  Xobel-Prater.  though  of 
course  in  a  different  way.  and  Mary  remarked  that  it  was  vastly  more 
amusing.  Children  were  romping  among  the  trees  or  along  the  walks, 
ffirls  in  swings  were  shouting  and  screaming  with  much    merriment. 


POPULAR   SIGHTS   AND   SHOWS. 


507 


and  there  was  a  lively  whirl  of  merry-go-rounds  that  reminded  Fred  of 
Coney  Island  and  other  popular  resorts  in  his  own  land.  Several  par- 
ties were  dancing  in  the  open  air,  and  the  common  workaday  people  of 
Vienna  were  strolling  along  the  walks,  lying  on  the  grass  beneath  the 
trees,  or  sipping  beer  or  other  beverages  at  the  places  where  those  arti- 
cles were  sold.  There  was  a  whole  street  of  shows,  which  included 
trained  fleas,  lion-tamers,  snake-charmers,  acrobats,  bearded  women, 
living  skeletons,  jugglers,  monkey- theatres,  and  other  things.  Mary 
thought  it  would  be  capital  fun  to  visit  all  the  shows  in  the  "Wurstel- 
Prater,  but  Frank  suggested  that  it  would  consume  too  much  of  their 
time,  and,  after  all,  the  displays  would  be  very  much  the  same  as  kin- 
dred entertainments  elsewhere. 


SHOWS    IX    THE    WURSTEL-PKATEK. 


508 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IX  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


"  Frank  called  our  attention  to  the  Volkstheatre  in  the  Prater,"  said 
Mary,  "  and  told  us  that  it  was  specially  devoted  to  plays  in  the  A'ienna 
dialect,  and  suited  to  the  tastes  of  the  people  who  frequent  this  part  of 
the  park.     There  are  cafe-concerts  in  other  parts  of  the  Prater  which 


THE    VIENNA    STOCK-EXCHANGE. 


are  more  fashionable  in  their  character,  but  none  where  the  audience 
enjoys  itself  more  thoroughly  than  do  the  audiences  of  the  Yolks- 
theatre  and  the  concert-halls  in  its  vicinity.  The  result  of  my  observa- 
tion is  that  the  Prater  is  admirably  arranged  for  the  recreation  of  all 
the  people,  high  and  low.  rich  and  poor,  prince  and  peasant.  I  like  the 
great  park  very  much  indeed,  and  hope  we  will  have  a  chance  to  see  it 
again  before  we  continue  our  journey." 

On  the  way  back  to  the  city  our  friends  took  the  route  over  the 
Aspern  Bridge,  and  then  along  Franz  Josef  Quay  to  the  Schotten 
Ring.  As  they  passed  the  Stock -exchange.  Frank  remarked  that  it 
was  the  scene  of  the  great  crash  of  1ST3,  when  thousands  of  speculat- 
oi*s  and  other  people  were  ruined. 

"Ruined!"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Bassett ;  "I  should  suppose  it  would  have 
killed  them.  But  they  have  built  it  up  since,  and  it  looks  like  a  very 
solid  house  that  ought  not  to  fall  again." 


THE    TOTITE    CHURCH. 


510       THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

Frank  explained  that  it  was  not  the  fall  of  the  Stock -exchange 
building  to  which  he  referred,  but  a  financial  crash  or  panic,  which  oc- 
curred in  the  year  mentioned.  There  had  been,  he  further  said,  a  vast 
amount  of  speculation  or  over- trading,  and  the  crash  came  like  the 
famous  ''Black  Friday"  of  New  York  in  1869,  or  the  still  greater  panic- 
in  "Wall  Street  in  1ST3,  six  months  after  the  krak  at  Vienna. 

At  the  upper  end  of  the  Schotten  Fung  attention  was  called  to  the 
Votive  Church,  which  stands  in  a  large  open  space  called  the  Maxiniil- 
ianplatz.  Mary  asked  if  the  ground  was  named  fur  the  emperor  whose 
tomb — or,  rather,  whose  monument — they  saw  at  Innsbruck. 

"No,"  was  the  reply;  "it  was  named  for  the  Maximilian  who  was 
shot  in  Mexico  in  1SG6,  after  a  brief  career  as  emperor  of  that  country." 

"I  remember,"  said  Mary;  "he  was  the  brother  of  the  Emperor  of 
Austria,  and  renounced  all  his  rights  to  the  throne  of  this  country  when 
he  went  to  Mexico.  And  I  believe  he  started  the  movement  for  build- 
ing the  church  which  we  are  looking  at.  did  he  not '." 

"  Yes,"  said  Frank  ;  "  the  Votive  Church  was  built  to  commemorate 
the  escape  of  the  Emperor  Francis  Joseph  from  the  attempt  of  an  as- 
sassin to  take  his  life  near  this  very  spot." 

"  It  is  certainly  a  very  handsome  church,"  said  Mrs.  Bassett,  as  they 
contemplated  the  facade  and  portals  with  the  slender  spires  that  rose 
very  high  in  the  air.  Mary  said  the  sculpture  made  her  think  of  a 
piece  of  lace-work,  and  Frank  remarked  that  it  had  been  compared  to 
lace  wrought  in  stone.  The  position  of  the  church  on  a  terraced  foun- 
dation adds  greatly  to  the  artistic  effect  of  the  building  as  one  looks  at 
it  from  any  point  on  the  Pungstrasse. 

While  our  friends  were  looking  at  the  Votive  Church  the  carriage 
of  the  Empress  passed  them,  and  they  had  a  glimpse  of  the  lady  who 
is,  by  her  exalted  position,  the  first  of  the  land.  They  had  just  time  to 
observe  that  her  face  was  pleasing,  and  that  she  smiled  graciously,  bow- 
ing slightly  to  right  and  left  at  the  homage  that  was  shown  her  by  the 
people.  Frank  told  his  companions  that  the  Empress  has  a  great  popu- 
larity with  the  Viennese,  and  whenever  she  appears  in  public  their  affec- 
tion for  her  is  decorously  but  emphatically  demonstrated. 

"  I  have  heard  that  she  is  a  very  daring  horseback-rider."  said  Mary. 
"  and  is  fond  of  mounting  steeds  that  most  people  are  afraid  of.  Is  that 
reallv  the  case '.     I  would  certainly  like  to  know." 

"  Yes,"  was  the  reply  ;  "  and  she  usually  succeeds  in  conquering  any 
horse,  however  obstinate  he  may  be  when  he  first  comes  to  her  hand. 
She  takes  great  delight  in  the  English  sport  of  '  riding  to  hounds.'  and 


THE  EMPEROR  AND   EMPRESS. 


511 


it  has  been  said  that  she  enjoys  the  saddle  quite  as  much  as  she  does 
the  throne,  and  sits  on  it  as  easily." 

"And  the  Emperor  is  a  good  horseman,  I've  heard,"  added  Mary. 

"One  of  the  best,"1  said  Frank,  "and  he  is  justly  proud  of  his  horse- 
manship. He  is  also  a  famous  hunter  of  the  chamois,  and  spends  two 
or  three  weeks  of  every  autumn  hunting  that  animal  in  Styria.  He 
gets  up  at  three  or  four  in  the  morning,  dresses  like  the  other  hunters, 
climbs  the  mountains  like  them  and  with  them ;  he  carries  his  own 
alpenstock  and  rifle,  and  is  an  excellent  shot,  as  he  has  proved  on  many 
an  occasion.  He  has  a  fine  collection  of  heads  of  chamois  which  he  has 
killed — in  fact,  it  is  said  that  few 
other  amateur  hunters  have  col- 
lections to  surpass  that  of  Fran- 
cis Joseph."' 

"  Is  there  anything  else  for 
which  he  is  remarkable?"  queried 
Mrs.  Bassett,  in  a  tone  which  in- 
dicated her  belief  that  the  end  of 
the  list  had  been  reached. 

"  He  is  one  of  the  best  lin- 
guists of  the  clay,  as  you  have 
already  heard,"  said  Frank.  "  He 
can  speak  English,  French,  Ital- 
ian, and  Spanish,  in  addition  to 
his  native  German  and  the  other 
languages  and  dialects  of  his  em- 
pire. A  considerable  part  of  his 
popularity  with  the  Hungarians 
arises  from  his  ability  to  address 
them  in  their  own  tongue,  which 
he  can  do  with  ease,  and  it  is 
said  of  him  that  when  he  has 
once  learned  a  word  in  a  foreign 
language  he  never  forgets-  it  or 
its  meaning.  Altogether  he  is  a 
remarkable  man,  and  refutes  most 
emphatically  the  idea  that  the 
life  of  an  emperor  is  one  of  indo- 
lence." 

TYPE    OF   YIENNOISE, 


512 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


CHAPTER   XXIX. 


THE  IMPERIAL  OPERA-HOUSE,  VIENNA ;  EXTERIOR  AND  INTERIOR  OF  THE  BUILD- 
ING; THE  AUDIENCE  AND  THE  PERFORMANCE;  STATUARY  ANT)  DECORATIONS; 
MADAME  MATERNA;  RULES  OF  THE  MANAGEMENT;  FEMININE  ORCHESTRAS; 
MRS.  BASSETT'S  VIEWS  CONCERNING  THEM.— THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  VIENNA  — 
"THE  LINES."— SIEGE  OF  VIENNA  BY  THE  TURKS.— SCRAFS  OF  HISTORY.— EX- 
TENSION OF  MODERN  VIENNA.— A  BAKER'S  DISCOVERY.— THE  KAHLENBERG  — 
FROM  VIENNA  TO  BUDA-PESTH  BY  RIVER.— PRESBURG  AND  KOMORN.— BUDA- 
PESTH.— THE  TWIN  CITIES,  AND  HOW  THEY  WERE  UNITED.— ROYAL  PALACE, 
AND  OTHER  BUILDINGS. —  HOT  SPRINGS  AND  BATHS  — MARGARET  ISLAND  — 
THE  OPERA.— HUNGARIAN  DISHES,  DANCES,  AXD  NOBILITY.— THE  END. 


T 


A    LADY    ORCHESTRA. 


lowing   the    in- 
cidents just  narrated 
■  happened  to  be  "  op- 

era-night," and  Mrs. 
Bassett  intimated 
that  she  would  like 
to  see  the  interior  of 
the  famous  opera- 
I  •       house  of  Vienna. 

Through  the  aid 
of   the    manager    of 
the  hotel  a  box  was 
(.       secured  for  the  even- 
ing, and  at  the  prop- 
er time  the  party  was 
seated  in  it.     It  was  too 
far  to  one  side  to  afford  a 
good  view  of  the  stage,  but 
Frank  said  they  must  consider 
themselves  fortunate  to  secure  a 
box  at  all  at  such  a  late  hour.    As 
their  object  was  to  study  the  an- 


INTERIOR  OF  THE   GRAND   OPERA.-HOUSE. 


51.; 


THE    IMPERIAL    OPERA-HOUSE. 


dience  quite  as  much  as  the  performance,  nobody  lost  any  time  in 
grieving  over  the  location  of  the  box  they  occupied. 

They  were  shown  to  their  box  by  an  attendant,  whose  livery  was  so 
gorgeous  that  Mrs.  Bassett  said  in  a  whisper  directed  to  Mary's  ear 
that  he  must  belong  to  the  imperial  family.  Mary  intimated  that  if  so 
the  family  must  be  very  large  indeed,  as  she  observed  that  the  patrons 
of  the  lower  part  of  the  house  were  waited  upon  by  attendants  in  simi- 
lar uniform,  and  they  were  not  few  in  number. 

"When  they  were  out  of  hearing  of  the  attendant  and  comfortably 
seated  in  the  box,  Frank  explained  to  his  mother  and  sister  that  the 
opera  was  a  Government  institution,  as  in  most  of  the  countries  of  Eu- 
rope, and  received  a  large  annual  subsidy  from  the  imperial  treasury. 
The  rules  concerning  its  management  are  very  strict,  and  every  detail 
is  watched  with  the  greatest  care. 

"  I  have  heard,"  said  Mary,  "  that  any  man  or  woman  who  has  sung 
in  the  Imperial  Opera-house  in  Vienna  has  no  difficulty  in  finding  an 
engagement  anywhere  else.  I  suppose  that  is  owing  to  the  high  stand- 
ard which  is  set  by  the  management." 

33 


514  TIIE   BOY   TRAVELLERS    IN   CENTRAL   EUROPE. 

"Yes,"  was  the  reply;  "and  the  rule  will  apply  to  any  one  of  the 
chorus  girls  just  as  much  as  to  the  great  singers  whose  names  are  fa- 
mous in  the  musical  world.  Xo  chorus  girl  is  admitted  to  sing  unless 
she  can  reach  a  certain  standard  of  musical  work,  and  the  rule  is  thor- 
oughly understood  by  every  musician  in  Vienna.  And  just  in  propor- 
tion that  the  management  demands  a  certain  musical  ability  of  the 
humblest  girl  in  the  chorus,  it  is  more  and  more  exacting  as  it  goes 
higher  in  the  list.     It  has  been  said — " 

Frank's  sentence  was  cut  short  by  the  entrance  of  some  of  the 
members  of  the  imperial  family  to  the  place  which  is  specially  re- 
served for  the  Hapsburgs.  All  eyes  were  turned  in  the  direction  of 
the  imperial  loge,  in  the  expectation  of  seeing  the  Emperor  or  the 
Empress ;  but  the  visitors  proved  to  be  some  of  the  less  distinguished 
members  of  the  galaxy,  the  great  ones  not  honoring  the  opera-house 
with  their  presence  on  that  particular  evening. 

Mrs.  Bassett  remarked  that  there  was  much  less  noise  in  the  audi- 
ence than  in  that  of  the  Grand  Opera-house  at  Paris,  that  the  people 
entered  with  as  little  confusion  as  they  would  enter  a  church,  and  their 
conversation  was  almost  in  whispers.  Throughout  the  whole  evening 
our  friends  remarked  this  peculiarity  of  the  Viennese  audience,  which 
excelled  in  its  demeanor  that  of  the  audience  at  the  Grand  Opera-house 
in  Paris,  and  also  that  of  Xew  York.  There  was  less  loud  conversation 
in  the  boxes,  and  much  less  to  interfere  with  the  rendition  of  the  music 
by  the  company,  or  its  enjoyment  by  those  who  came  to  listen,  than  in 
the  boxes  of  the  Metropolitan  Opera-house,  which  is  the  pride  of  Man- 
hattan Island  and  the  home  of  fashionable  opera. 

Mary  was  deputed  to  give  an  account  of  their  visit  to  the  opera,  and 
here  is  what  she  wrote  concerning  it : 

"  To  begin  with,  the  building  is  one  of  the  finest  opera-houses  in 
Europe.  I  should  call  it  second  only  to  the  Grand  Opera-house  at 
Paris,  but  wouldn't  say  so  in  presence  of  a  resident  of  Vienna,  as  the 
Viennese  generally  regard  theirs  as  the  finest  in  the  world.  Certainly 
they  have  reason  to  be  proud  of  it,  as  it  is  a  magnificent  edifice.  It 
cost  six  million  florins  (83,000,000),  and  that  amount  of  money  repre- 
sents a  great  deal  more  in  Vienna  than  in  Xew  York,  where  wages 
are  very  much  higher,  and  everything  else  is  in  proportion. 

"The  opera-house  has  a  splendid  facade  on  the  Ringstrasse.  and  in 
this  facade  there  is  an  open  balcony,  which  is  a  very  agreeable  resort 
between  the  acts  of  the  performance  on  warm  nights  in  summer.  As 
for  the  statuarv  and  other  ornaments  of  the  exterior.  I  won't  try  to  de- 


CAPACITY   OF   THE   OPERA-HOUSE. 


515 


scribe  thera,  but  will  refer  you  to  the  photograph  which  accompanies 
my  very  imperfect  story.  The  house  will  seat  3000  people,  and  the 
stage  is  said  to  be  one  of  the  finest  and  best  arranged  on  the  Conti- 
nent.     They  have  taken  great  precautions  against  fire  since  the  disas- 


ELIZABETH,    EMPRESS    OF    AUSTRIA. 


516       THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

ter  at  the  Ping  Theatre.  There  is  an  iron  curtain  between  the  audi- 
ence and  the  stage,  and  this  is  let  down  two  or  three  times  in  the 
intervals  between  the  acts,  so  as  to  make  sure  that  it  is  all  right.  In 
case  of  fire  this  curtain  can  be  dropped  instantly;  and  they  have  an 
arrangement  by  which  water  is  pumped  to  reservoirs  under  the  roof, 
and  will  flood  the  house  at  very  short  notice. 

"There  is  a  melancholy  bit  of  history  in  connection  with  the  build- 
ing of  the  opera-house.  It  was  begun  in  1860  and  finished  in  1868, 
and  was  the  work  of  two  architects,  Sicardsburg  and  Vandermill.  <  >ne 
of  them  committed  suicide  in  consequence  of  the  sinking  of  a  part  of 
the  foundation  of  the  edifice,  and  the  other  died  of  grief  over  the  severe 
and  unjust  criticisms  of  some  of  the  newspapers  of  Vienna. 

"  The  interior  of  the  building  from  the  very  entrance  is  like  a  great 
picture-gallery,  or,  rather,  a  gallery  of  painting  and  sculpture.  In  the 
wide  vestibule  there  is  an  array  of  statuary  and  some  beautiful  fres- 
cos;  and  there  are  statues,  bass-reliefs,  paintings,  and  frescos  along  the 
grand  staircase.  The  foyer  contains  busts  of  celebrated  composers,  and 
is  richly  ornamented  with  scenes  from  the  leading  operas.  There  arc 
gorgeous  frescos  here  and  out  in  the  balcony  which  I  mentioned,  and 
when  you  get  into  the  auditorium  you  find  paintings  and  frescos  till 
the  eve  is  fairly  bewildered.  Though  everything  is  bright  with  color, 
there  seems  to  be  no  lack  of  harmony.  Mamma  said  the  decorations 
of  the  house  matched  the  uniforms  of  the  archdukes  and  princes  in  the 
imperial  box,  and  she  thought  those  exalted  personages  were  a  part  of 
the  show  just  as  much  as  the  performance  on  the  stage. 

"  It  was  a  'Wagner  night'  when  we  went  to  the  opera,  and  we  had 
the  good-fortune  to  see  and  hear  the  famous  Madame  Materna  in  her 
favorite  character  of  Brunhilde.  The  critics  say  she  is  great  in  every- 
thing, but  greatest  of  all  when  she  appears  in  this  character.  Of 
course  we  are  unable  to  make  the  same  comparisons,  but  she  is  certainly 
one  of  the  finest  singers  we  ever  heard,  and  we  enioved  the  evening 
very  much  indeed  from  first  to  last. 

'•  Mamma  said  Materna  reminded  her  of  Madame  Parepa.  I  can"t 
say  anything  for  myself  on  that  point,  as  I  never  saw  Parepa ;  Inn  I 
have  been  told  that  she  was  a  large  woman,  and  certainly  no  one 
would  consider  Materna*s  figure  a  slender  one.  She  is  said  to  weigh 
two  hundred  pounds;  but  she  is  certainly  very  graceful  in  all  her  move- 
ments, and  I  could  not  realize  that  she  is  of  more  than  ordinary  size 
and  stature.  She  is  evidently  very  popular  with  the  opera -goers  of 
Vienna,  as  they  received  her  with  warm  applause  when  she  made  her 


A  "LADY   ORCHESTRA.' 


517 


first  appearance  during  the  evening,  and  the  same  applause  was  given 
at  the  end  of  every  solo  which  came  from  her  lips." 

While  our  ears  are  attuned  to  music  Ave  will  mention  that  on  the 
evening  following  the  one  devoted  to  grand  opera,  our  friends  went  to 


MADAME    FHIKDKICH    MATEK.NA. 


see  and  hear  one  of  the  specialties  of  Vienna :  an  orchestra  of  feminine 
performers.  The  "  lady  orchestra,"  as  it  is  generally  called  in  England 
and  the  United  States  whenever  it  has  appeared  there,  consists  entire- 
ly of  women,  the  leader  included.     Sometimes  they  are  dressed  all  in 

33* 


51 S        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

■white,  sometimes  in  red,  and  sometimes  in  blue  or  other  color;  but  at 
no  time  in  a  public  appearance  is  each  one  allowed  to  exercise  her  own 
taste,  and  dress  as  she  pleases.  Mrs.  Bassett  and  Mary  were  of  the 
opinion  that  the  performance  of  the  "lady  orchestra''  to  which  they 
listened  was  very  good  but  nothing  remarkable,  and  their  opinions 
were  echoed  by  Frank  and  Fred.  Mrs.  Bassett  thought  the  idea  an 
excellent  one  and  deserving  of  encouragement.  "It  is,"  said  she,  "an- 
other opening  for  the  employment  of  women  in  occupations  that  have 
generally  been  monopolized  by  men,  and  there  is  no  reason  why  they 
should  be  debarred  from  it."  The  rest  of  the  party  fully  agreed  with 
her,  and  there  was  a  prompt  declaration  from  Frank  and  Fred  that,  so 
far  as  they  were  concerned,  they  would  prefer  a  feminine  orchestra  to  a 
masculine  one,  even  if  there  should  be  a  uniformity  of  dress  and  now 
and  then  a  little  weakness  in  the  music. 

One  day  while  the  travellers  were  making  their  sight-seeing  rounds 
Mrs.  Bassett  asked  about  the  University  of  Vienna,  and  said  she  would 
like  to  see  it  if  it  was  permitted  to  do  so. 

"  We  shall  pass  the  building  in  a  few  minutes,"  replied  Frank  :  "and 
it  is  a  very  fine  building,  as  you  will  have  an  opportunity  to  know." 

"  It  is  one  of  the  leading  universities  of  the  world,  is  it  not  ?"  Mrs. 
Bassett  asked,  as  Frank  paused. 

"  It  certainly  has  that  reputation,"  was  the  reply,  "  and  from  all  I 
can  learn  it  deserves  it.  Students  come  here  from  all  parts  of  the  Aus- 
tro-Hungarian  monarchy,  and  also  from  all  parts  of  the  world ;  but  of 
course  the  greater  number  are  natives  of  the  empire." 

"  Do  any  students  come  here  from  the  United  States  ?" 

11  Yes,  you  will  find  quite  a  number  of  American  students  here  at 
any  time;  but  they  are  nearly  all  in  the  medical  department,  for  the 
reason  that  the  medical  teaching  of  the  University  of  A'ienna  is  of  the 
very  highest  class.  Physicians  and  surgeons  whose  fame  is  world  wide 
are  among  the  members  of  the  faculty,  and  the  course  of  instruction  is 
very  thorough.  Doctor  Bronson  was  telling  me  only  this  morning  that 
the  medical  men  of  Vienna — all  the  famous  ones,  at  least — are  specialists ; 
that  is,  they  devote  themselves  to  one  single  branch  of  treatment,  and 
do  not  consider  anything  else.  One  doctor  treats  diseases  of  the  scalp : 
another,  diseases  of  the  lungs  and  throat ;  another,  nervous  diseases ;  and 
so  on  through  the  list.  All  the  great  medical  men  of  Vienna  being 
specialists,  it  naturally  follows  that  the  medical  faculty  of  the  univer- 
sity ranks  very  high,  as  each  of  the  professors  is  an  expert  in  his  own 
department,  and  an  expert  of  the  highest  order." 


A  FAMOUS   UNIVERSITY. 


519 


"  "What  besides  medicine  do  they  study  at  the  university  ?"  was  the 
very  natural  query  which  followed  this  statement. 

"  Everything  that  is  taught  in  any  university,"  was  the  reply.  "  LaAV, 
chemistry,  astronomy,  philosophy,  theology,  and  I  don't  know  what 
else.  For  theological  studies  one  must  go  to  the  priests'  branch  in  the 
city,  and  the  study  is  confined  to  the  Koman  Catholic  religion.  You 
must  remember  that  this  Government  is  a  Catholic  one ;  and  as  the  uni- 
versity is  a  Government  institution,  it  naturally  adheres  to  the  official 
faith  of  the  country." 

By  this  time  they  had  reached  the  university  building,  and  the 
whole  party  observed  its  extensive  proportions.  Mary  remarked  that 
she  supposed  all  that  immense  space  was  required  for  the  lecture  and 
examination  rooms,  and  the  rooms  for  collections  of  various  kinds. 

"Yes,"  said  Frank,  "and  there  is  also  a  library  of  500,000  volumes 
and  a  reading-room  of  400  seats,  all  lighted  up  by  electric  lights.  There 
are  certainly  very  few  universities  in  the  world  where  so  much  effort 
has  been  made  to  furnish  good  accommodations  for  the  students.  The 
fees  for  instruction  are  moderate,  and  for  those  who  want  to,  or  must, 
live  cheaply  the  Josefstadt  Quarter  of  Vienna  affords  the  same  kind 
of  low-priced  accommodation  as  does  the  Latin  Quarter  of  Paris." 


THE    NE1V    UNITECSITY. 


520       THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

"We  neglected  to  mention  that  the  party  was  riding,  not  walking, 
when  the  university  was  mentioned.  After  seeing  that  interesting 
building  our  friends  continued  their  drive,  and,  in  answer  to  Mrs.  Uas- 
sett's  query,  Frank  said  they  were  going  beyond  "  The  Lines."  She 
asked  what  lines  he  meant,  and  he  explained  that  the  city  was  encircled 
by  a  rampart  and  ditch  about  the  jTear  1704,  to  prevent  attacks  by  the 
Hungarians.  These  fortifications  are  known  as  "The  Lines,"  and  the 
name  is  also  applied  to  the  gates  that  pass  through  them.* 

"  These  were  not  the  fortifications  when  the  Turks  besieged  Vienna, 
were  they  ?"  Mary  asked,  as  they  passed  the  wall  and  ditch  which  have 
just  been  mentioned  under  the  name  of  "  The  Lines." 

"Not  by  any  means,"  replied  Frank.  "The  Turks  besieged  Vienna 
in  1529  and  10S3,  and  the  walls  were  not  built — these  lines,  I  mean — 
until  more  than  twenty  years  after  the  second  siege.  Vienna  then  con- 
sisted of  the  city  inside  the  old  walls,  which  were  recently  torn  down 
to  make  room  for  the  present  Eingstrasse." 

"  Did  the  Turks  get  possession  of  the  city  at  either  of  those  attacks?'' 
Mary  asked,"  addressing  her  brother. 

"  Ko ;  they  were  defeated  in  both  attempts.  The  first  siege  lasted 
about  three  weeks,  and  the  second  a  day  or  two  less  than  two  months. 
In  the  second  siege  (1683)  they  came  near  succeeding,  and  would  have 
done  so  had  it  not  been  for  John  Sobieski,  King  of  Poland,  who  came 
to  their  relief  with  an  army  composed  of  Poles,  Austrians,  Saxons,  and 
Bavarians.  He  attacked  the  Turks,  and  defeated  them  just  when  the 
city  was  so  near  the  point  of  starvation  that  it  was  about  to  surrender." 

*  Since  our  friends  were  at  Vienna  the  demolition  of  "  The  Lines"  has  begun,  and 
before  long  all  the  walls  of  1704  will  have  disappeared.  On  December  20,  1891,  Vienna 
completed  a  long-contemplated  plan  of  annexation.  Down  to  that  date  its  area  was  lifty- 
five  square  kilometres,  and  on  the  following  day  it  was  178  kilometres.  The  addition 
to  the  population  was  about  400,000,  making  a  total,  altogether,  of  1,300.000  inhabitants. 
There  were  ten  districts  in  the  old  city,  and  there  were  in  the  annexed  district  forty-nine 
suburban  communes.  Some  of  these  communes  were  large  and  prosperous  towns,  and 
others  were  pleasure  resorts.  They  included  the  Kahlenberg  arid  Leopoldsbcrg,  and  the 
towns  of  Hernals,  Doebling,  Ottakring,  Hietzing,  Dornbach.  and  Hetzendorf.  The  measure 
of  annexation  originated  with  the  Emperor,  and  he  carried  it  through,  although  it  was  ear- 
nestly opposed  by  the  people  in  the  suburbs.  The  present  area  of  Vienna  is  three  times 
that  of  Berlin,  twice  that  of  Paris,  and  about  half  that  of  London.  The  suburbs  opposed 
the  annexation  because  they  will  now  have  to  pay  octroi  duties  on  certain  articles  on 
which  they  were  not  previously  taxed.  The  old  octroi  gates  were  at  "The  Lines,"  but 
on  the  day  of  annexation  they  were  transferred  to  the  boundaries  of  the  suburbs.  For- 
merly fifty-four  articles  of  consumption  were  taxed  at  the  gates.  For  the  future  the  tax 
will  be  collected  on  only  nine  articles,  of  which  the  principal  are  meat,  beer,  and  wine. 


WHAT   A  BAKER  DISCOVERED. 


521 


THE   PARLIAMENT   HOUSE. 


"  That  should  have  made  Austria  very  friendly  to  Poland — at  least, 
I  think  so,"  Mrs.  Bassett  remarked. 

"  Perhaps,"  Avas  the  reply ;  "  but  it  did  not  prevent  Austria  joining 
in  the  dismemberment  of  Poland  in  1773.  Maria  Theresa  was  then  on 
the  throne,  and  she,  along  with  Frederick  the  Great,  accepted  the  pro- 
posal of  Catherine  II.  of  Russia  to  send  an  army  for  the  conquest  of  the 
country,  which  they  divided  among  themselves." 

"  It  has  been  said  that  republics  are  ungrateful,"  commented  Mary ; 
"but  republics  are  not  the  only  Governments  with  short  memories.  It 
is  a  slander  on  republics  to  imply  that  they  are  the  only  countries  which 
practise  ingratitude,"  she  added,  with  emphasis. 

Fred  then  told  an  incident  of  the  siege  of  Vienna  about  which  he 
had  read.  It  seems  that  one  Sunday,  when  everything  was  unusually 
still,  a  baker  who  had  an  oven  near  the  fortifications  was  busy  ivith  his 
work,  when  he  heard  a  strange  sound  in  the  ground  beneath  him.  He 
thought  of  witches,  or  a  subterranean  river,  and  in  great  alarm  he  ran 
out  and  told  the  officer  commanding  the  nearest  part  of  the  line  of  de- 
fence. The  officer  laughed  at  the  baker  and  told  him  to  go  back  to 
his  bread,  and  the  man  obeyed  at  once. 

But  still  he  heard  that  strange  sound,  and  he  went  again  to  the  offi- 
cer. This  time  the  matter  was  taken  under  serious  consideration,  and  a 
subordinate  was  sent  with  the  baker  to  make  an  investigation.  It  re- 
sulted in  the  discovery  that  the  Turks  were  mining  under  the  fortifica- 
tions ;  and  they  were  so  far  advanced  that  they  would  have  sprung  the 


522        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

7nine  that  very  night,  and  probably  would  have  taken  the  city  by  sur- 
prise. Needless  to  say,  their  enterprise  was  a  failure,  and  only  a  few- 
days  afterwards  the  besiegers  were  driven  away  by  the  armies  that 
came  to  the  relief  of  Vienna. 

Our  friends  had  a  pleasant  drive  outside  The  Lines  and  through  the 
suburbs  in  that  locality.  The  next  day  they  paid  a  visit  to  the  Kablen- 
berg,  a  wooded  mountain  near  the  city  and  on  the  banks  of  the  Dan- 
ube, whose  valley  can  be  seen  from  the  heights  for  a  long  distance. 
They  went  to  the  mountain  by  steamboat,  or  rather  to  the  foot  of 
it,  and  returned  to  the  city,  when  their  visit  was  ended,  by  the  same 
means,  preferring  the  boat  to  the  railway. 

"  In  going  to  the  Kahlenberg,"  said  Fred,  "  we  had  a  reminder  of 
the  Rigi,  as  the  mountain  is  ascended  by  a  cog-wheel  railway  similar  to 
that  which  goes  up  the  famous  mountain  of  Switzerland.  This  railway 
is  about  three  miles  long,  and  the  journey  is  made  in  thirty  minutes, 
the  grade  not  being  as  steep  as  that  on  the  Rigi. 

"  We  enjoyed  the  view  from  the  balcony  of  the  hotel  on  the  summit 
very  much  indeed.  It  included  the  city,  which  lay  below  us  like  a  map, 
and  the  country  around  for  a  considerable  distance.  We  could  see  the 
spurs  of  the  Carpathian  Mountains  on  the  frontier  of  Moravia  and  Hun- 
gary. The  southern  horizon  was  filled  with  the  Styrian  Alps,  and  we 
sat  there  for  some  time  making  comparisons  between  the  view  from  the 
Kahlenberg  and  that  from  Berne  as  one  looks  towards  the  Bernese 
Oberland  and  the  mountains  that  fill  the  horizon. 

"  If  we  had  not  been  told  that  the  Kahlenberg  was  a  favorite  resort 
of  the  people  of  Vienna,  we  should  have  known  it  both  on  our  way 
there  and  while  on  the  summit.  The  steep  side  of  the  mountain  is 
towards  the  river ;  on  the  other  side  it  slopes  gently  and  is  covered 
with  forest,  so  that  there  is  plenty  of  space  for  restaurants  and  similar 
resorts  where  the  people  go  to  enjoy  themselves.  The  crowd  was  much 
like  that  we  saw  in  the  Wurstel-Prater ;  there  were  men,  women,  and 
children  enjoying  themselves  in  ways  that  showed  they  did  not  have  an 
excursion  to  the  Kahlenberg  every  day,  and  were  determined  to  make 
the  most  of  it  when  they  had  the  opportunity. 

"  The  tradition  is  that  Mozart  composed  a  portion  of  the  '  Zauber- 
flote'  on  the  Kahlenberg,  and  certainly  the  site  is  one  where  he  ought 
to  have  found  inspiration  for  his  work.  A  church  was  pointed  out  to 
us  which  is  said  to  have  been  founded  in  16S3  as  a  memorial,  by  the 
Emperor  Leopold  I.,  that  the  German  and  Polish  troops  who  relieved 
the  city  when  the  Turks  were  besieging  it  came  from  the  direction  of 


DOWN  THE   DANUBE. 


523 


this  mountain,  their  camps  having  been  established  there  previous  to 
the  attack  upon  the  position  of  the  Moslems." 

Several  days  were  passed  in  Vienna  very  pleasantly,  and  then  the 
travellers  prepared  to  go  elsewhere  on  their  journey. 

"  Shall  we  go  by  river  or  railway?"  queried  Frank,  when  the  subject 
of  leaving  Vienna  was  brought  up  for  serious  consideration. 

"  Go  where  ?"  Mrs.  Bassett  asked. 

"  Why,  to  Buda-Pesth,"  was  the  reply.  "  You  suggested  one  day, 
mamma,"  said  Frank,  "  that  it  would  not  be  fair  to  see  one  capital  of 


THE    KA1ILKNBEKG. 


524  THE   BOY   TRAVELLERS    IN    CENTRAL    EUROPE. 

the  Austro-Hungarian  monarchy  without  seeing  the  other,  an'l  so  I  have 
planned  to  go  to  the  other  one  as  soon  as  we  are  through  with  this." 

"Thank  you  very  much;  it  is  just  what  I  wanted  to  do,  and  I'm 
ready  for  either  mode  of  conveyance  you  think  best." 

"  It  takes  twelve  or  thirteen  hours  to  go  to  Buda-Pesth  by  river  and 
only  six  hours  by  rail.  The  river  route  is  the  most  interesting,  and  I 
think  it  fully  compensates  for  the  additional  time.  The  boats  are  com- 
fortable, and  much  larger  than  the  one  by  which  we  came  from  Linz." 

Needless  to  say,  it  was  settled  that  they  would  go  by  river.  On  the 
evening  before  their  departure  all  retired  very  early,  in  view  of  the  fact 
that  the  boat  was  to  start  at  6.30  a.m.,  and  it  was  necessary  to  rise  not 
later  than  five  o'clock.  All  baggage  was  packed  beforehand,  and  there 
was  nothing  to  do  in  the  morning  but  settle  the  bill,  distribute  fees  to 
the  attendants  of  the  hotel,  take  a  light  breakfast,  and  hurry  away  to 
the  steamboat-landing  just  below  the  Aspern  Bridge. 

On  arrival  at  the  landing  Mrs.  Bassett  was  greatly  disappointed,  as 
she  found  herself  and  companions  on  a  small  steamboat  which  was  piled 
high  with  baggage  and  crowded  to  discomfort  with  passengers.  She 
mentioned  her  disappointment  to  Frank,  and  suggested  that  they  had 
better  abandon  the  idea  of  going  to  their  destination  by  boat,  go  to  the 
railway  station,  and  take  the  first  train  that  offered. 

But  she  changed  her  view  when  Frank  explained  that  the  small  boat 
was  to  take  them  out  of  the  Donau  Canal  to  the  main  river,  where  they 
would  find  the  large  boat  waiting  for  them.  In  a  few  minutes  they 
were  loose  from  the  quay  and  gliding  swiftly  down  the  canal :  within 
half  an  hour  all  were  on  board  the  large  boat  and  moving  down  the 
Danube  in  the  direction  of  Buda-Pesth. 

The  spires  of  Vienna  disappeared  from  sight,  and  so  did  the  dome  of 
the  great  Exhibition  building  of  1ST3,  which  has  been  preserved  as  a 
memorial  of  that  event  in  the  history  of  the  city.  The  boat  sped  along 
through  a  flat  and  well-tilled  country,  and  in  two  hours  it  was  in  front 
of  Presburg,  the  ancient  capital  of  Hungary,  and  where  many  of  its 
kings  were  crowned,  with  a  great  deal  of  ceremony. 

"  Our  first  view  of  Presburg,"  said  Fred,  "  was  not  of  the  city,  but 
of  the  ruins  of  the  old  castle  or  palace,  which  was  burned  in  1811.  It 
must  have  been  an  extensive  building,  to  judge  by  its  appearance  from 
the  river ;  and  when  it  was  occupied  by  the  Hungarian  kings  the  city 
was  probably  less  sleepy  in  appearance  than  it  is  to-day.  The  boat  did 
not  remain  more  than  a  minute  at  the  landing,  and  so  our  accmaintance 
with  the  place  was  very  slight. 


MARIA  THERESA  AND   THE  HUNGARIANS. 


525 


"  Mary  watched  the  palace  as  long  as  it  was  in  sight,"  continued 
Fred,  "  and  recalled  an  interesting  incident  in  the  history  of  Maria 
Theresa.  She  was  crowned  Queen  of  Hungary  at  Presburg  in  1741. 
Not  long  afterwards  she  was  threatened  by  the  Elector  of  Bavaria  and 
his  French  allies,  and  determined  to  call  the  Hungarians  to  her  aid.    She 


budapkst. — [View  from  left  bank  of  the  Danube.] 


hastened  to  Presburg,  where  she  had  summoned  the  Hungarian  nobles 
to  meet  her.  In  the  great  hall  of  the  palace  she  stood,  surrounded  by 
her  infant  children,  and  said  to  the  deputies,  '  I  am  assailed  by  enemies 
on  every  side ;  I  have  no  hope  except  in  your  loyalty,  and  I  have  come 
to  place  under  your  protection  the  daughter  and  son  of  your  king.'' 

"  The  Hungarian  nobles  drew  their  swords,  and  said,  '  Moriamw 
pro  rege  nostro,  Maria  Theresia  /'  (We  will  die  for  our  king,  Maria  The- 
resa !).  The  Hungarian  army  came  to  her  aid,  and  the  Bavarians  and 
French  were  driven  away  with  great  loss. 

"At  one  of  the  landings  a  band  of  Hungarian  gypsies  came  on  board, 
and,  with  an  eye  to  business,  began  playing  various  ail's  on  their  musical 
instruments,  and  occasionally  passing  a  hat  for  contributions.  The 
music  which  most  interested  our  friends  was  that  from  the  guitar  and 
zither,  especially  the  former.  One  of  the  gypsies  performed  very  well 
on  the  zither,  but  Mrs.  Bassett  and  Mary  both  thought  they  heard  bet- 
ter zither  music  in  the  Tvrol  than  on  the  steamboat  on  the  Danube. 


526 


THE  HOY  TRAVELLERS  IX  CEXTKAL  EUROPE. 


"  "We  had  a  good  view  of  t he  Fortress  of  Komorn,  which  was  built 
four  hundred  years  ago,  and  has  been  greatly  strengthened  in  modern 
times.  It  has  undergone  several  sieges,  but  is  very  peaceful  now,  and 
allowed  us  to  pass  without  firing  a  single  gun  at  the  steamboat.  The 
great  cathedral  of  Gran  was  another  object  of  interest,  but  did  not 
attract  so  much  attention  as  the  city  of  Buda-Pesth,  which  came  into 
view  just  as  the  day  was  turning  into  night," 

It  was  dusk  and  something  more  by  the  time  the  travellers  readied 
the  land,  and  consequently  there  was  not  much  to  be  seen  until  next 
day.  Before  they  retired  for  the  night,  !Mrs.  Bassett  said  she  thought 
she  would  sleep  more  soundly  than  otherwise  if  some  one  would  tell  her 
why  the  city  was  called  by  two  names  instead  of  one.  Buda-Pesth  was 
a  mystery  to  her,  and  she  wanted  to  have  it  solved. 

"  Buda-Pesth  comes  from  the  union  of  Buda  and  Pesth,"  said  Frank. 
"  The  side  of  the  Danube  where  we  now  are,  the  left,  was  formerly  the 
city  of  Pesth,  while  the  city  on  the  right  bank  was  Buda,  also  called  Ofen. 


GYPST    VIOLINISTS. 


Both  are  ancient  cities,  having  been  founded  by  the  Bomans.  and  they 
were  independent  of  each  other  until  1873,  when  they  were  united  into 
one  municipality.  When  the  cities  were  united  the  names  were  joined 
together  as  you  now  see  them.     The  Hungarians  write  it  '  Budapest,' 


'THE   CHICAGO   OF  EASTERN   EUROPE.' 


527 


and  so  do  the  Germans, 
and  in  course  of  time  this 
form  of  spelling  will  be 
adopted  into  French  and 
English." 

"Thank  you  very  much," 
said  Mrs.  Bassett.  "  I'm 
sure  I'll  sleep  well  now. 
Good-night!" 

It  was  "good-night "  all 
around,  as  it  had  been  de- 
termined to  make  an  early 
start  for  sight-seeing  the 
next  day. 

"  We  had  heard  Buda- 
pest (to  use  the  Hungarian 
spelling)  called  '  The  Chica- 
go of  Eastern  Europe,'  and 
had  been  told  much  about 
its  wonderful  prosperity," 
said  Fred,  in  the  account 
which  he  was  delegated  to 
write  of  their  visit  to  the 
capital  of  Hungary.  "  But 
we  found,  on  investigation, 
that  the  half  had  not  been 
told  us.    So  far  as  we  have 

seen  there  is  not  another  city  of  Europe  that  has  made  half  as  much 
progress  in  the  past  thirty  years  as  the  one  we  are  now  visiting.  The 
population  has  increased  greatly,  but  not  in  proportion  to  the  commerce. 
Many  old  houses  have  been  torn  down  to  make  way  for  new  ones,  and 
great  numbers  of  buildings  have  been  erected  where  before  there  was 
only  barren  ground.  Handsome  quays  have  been  built,  miles  in  length, 
on  both  banks  of  the  river,  the  hotels  are  not  to  be  surpassed  in  any 
other  city  of  Europe,  and  altogether  Buda-Pesth  reminds  the  visitor  of 
Chicago  more  than  does  any  other  city  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic. 

"  The  greatest  progress  is  visible  on  the  Pesth  side  of  the  river,  and 
there  is  to  be  found  the  greater  part  of  the  population  of  the  twin  city, 
which  exceeds  300,000,  and  is  increasing  every  year.  Two-thirds  of  the 
inhabitants  are  Catholics,  50,000  are  Hebrews,  and  30,000  are  Protes- 


TTPE    OF  HONGROISE. 


52S 


THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 


tants,  and  there  is  a  small  sprinkling  of  Moslems,  the  remnants  or 
descendants  of  the  Turkish  rulers  who  once  held  the  city  in  their  con 
trol.  Though  the  greater  progress  and  population  are  here,  the  most 
interesting  part  of  the  city  is  on  the  Bud  a  side  of  the  Danube. 

"The  old  palace  of  the  kings  of  Hungary  is  in  Buda,  and  in  the  pal- 
ace the  Hungarian  Diet  holds  its  sessions.  We  went  through  a  part  of 
the  building,  hut  did  not  have  time  to  look  at  all  of  the  two  hundred 
apartments  it  contains.  We  saw  the  royal  regalia  of  Hungary,  the  crown 
of  St.  Stephen,  sceptre,  sword,  and  coronation  robes,  and  from  the  garden 
that  surrounds  the  palace  we  had  a  tine  view  of  Pesth  and  of  the  Dan- 
ube for  a  long  distance  up  and  down.  The  palace  is  on  a  high  and  steep 
hill,  which  we  ascended  by  means  of  cars  drawn  up  by  cables.  There  is 
a  winding  road  which  leads  to  the  top.  but  it  is  not  as  expeditious  as 

the  cable  line  proved  to  be. 

"  The  fortress  on  this  hill  is  very 
old,  and  has  been  several  times  capt- 
ured in  war.  The  Turks  held  it  for 
nearly  150  years  previous  to  1686, 
when  they  were  driven  out ;  and  the 
fortress  was  the  scene  of  some  hard 
fighting  in  the  revolution  of  18-49. 
The  Hungarians  destroyed  a  part  of 
the  fortress  after  they  had  captured 
it  in  that  year,  but  it  has  been  rebuilt 
since  that  time,  and  is  now  in  good 
repair  and  stronger  than  ever. 

"  The  Buda  side  of  the  river  is 
famous  for  its  hot  springs,  and  over 
some  of  these  springs  they  have  spa- 
cious bathing  -  houses,  which  are  a 
favorite  resort.  Two  of  these  bathing 
establishments  were  founded  by  the 
Turks,  and  one  of  them  is  in  the  same 
building  where  the  Moslems  placed 
it.  We  did  not  visit  any  of  these 
baths,  but  we  did  visit  the  bathing 
establishment  on  Margarethen-Insel, 
or  Margaret  Island,  in  the  middle  of 
the  Danube,  just  above  the  city. 
Hungarian  magxate.  "  This  island  deserves  a  paragraph 


MARGARET   ISLAND. 


529 


all  to  itself,  and  shall 
have  it.  It  belongs 
to  the  Archduke  Jo- 
seph, who  has  spent 
a  great  deal  of  money 
to  convert  it  into  one 
of  the  most  delight- 
ful parks  you  ever 
saw.  The  position 
in  the  middle  of  the 
river  is  charming,  the 
grounds  are  tasteful- 
ly laid  out  and  care- 
fully kept,  there  is 
a  tramway  running 
the  whole  length  of 
the  island,  and,  in 
addition  to  the  great 
bathing  establish- 
ment, there  are  a 
kursaal,  two  hotels, 
a  large  restaurant 
and  several  smaller 
ones.  Margaret  Isl- 
and is  to  Buda-Pesth 
what  the  Prater  is 
to  Vienna.  People 
go  there  in  con- 
siderable numbers 
during  the  day,  and 
on  pleasant  evenings 
it  is  very  much 
crowded  with  men 
and  women,  who  have  gone  there  for  recreation,  after  the  toil  of  the  day. 

"  We  timed  our  visit  so  as  to  reach  the  island  late  in  the  afternoon, 
while  the  tide  of  travel  was  setting  in  that  direction.  After  a  visit  to 
the  bathing  establishment  we  went  to  the  restaurant  for  dinner  and  to 
listen  to  the  music.  We  tried  some  of  the  native  dishes,  but  cannot  say 
that  we  are  in  love  with  them — at  any  rate,  not  greatly. 

"A  favorite  dish  of  Hungary  is  gulyas,  or  '  gollasch,'  as  it  is  generally 

34 


PROMENADE    ON    MARGARET     ISLAND. 


530        THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  EUROPE. 

called  by  strangers.  We  ate  some  ffuh/as,andi  then  called  for  something 
else.  Perhaps  you  would  like  to  know  the  composition  of  this  article 
of  food,  which  is  so  agreeable  to  the  natives. 

".Well,  it  is  a  stew  composed  of  onions,  several  kinds  of  meat,  po- 
tatoes, little  lumps  of  dough  called  nokerVn,  and  red  pepper.  The  pepper 
is  grown  in  Hungary,  and  is  very  mild  when  compared  with  Cayenne, 
but  they  make  up  in  quantity  any  lack  in  quality.  They  put  so  much 
pepper  into  their  stew  that  it  burns  the  tongue  and  lips  of  the  unac- 
customed stranger,  and  a  little  of  it  will  go  a  great  way. 

•■  We  had  music  from  a  German  band,  and  also  from  some  gvpsies. 
who  were  very  much  like  those  we  saw  on  the  steamboat  as  we  came 
from  Vienna.  Some  funny  stories  are  told  of  the  tricks  of  the  gypsies 
to  induce  listeners  to  pay  liberally  for  their  playing.  The  leader  of  the 
band  will  pick  out  some  dignified  and  well-to-do  citizen  in  the  front  of 
the  audience,  and  address  the  music  directly  to  him.  He  will  stand  im- 
mediately in  front  of  the  man,  look  into  his  eyes,  and  almost  press  the 
end  of  the  violin  in  the  listener's  face.  Then  the  music  begins,  slowly  at 
first,  and  gradually  working  up  to  a  sort  of  delirium.  At  the  end  of  it 
the  listener  pulls  out  a  bank-note  which  he  moistens  with  his  lips,  and 
then  sticks  it  on  the  gypsy's  forehead.  Sometimes  when  a  band  is 
playing  to  a  company  one  of  the  listeners  will  tear  a  bank-note  in  two, 
put  one-half  into  his  pocket,  and  give  the  other  half  to  the  leader  of 
the  band,  who  can  only  have  both  halves  of  the  bill  when  the  musical 
desires  of  the  audience  are  satisfied. 

"  Speaking  of  music  makes  one  think  about  dancing,  and  this  is  the 
place  to  remark  that  the  Hungarians  are  fond  of  this  amusement,  and 
have  several  dances  which  are  peculiarly  national.  We  saw  one  of  their 
dances,  the  czardas,  which  is  danced  by  all  classes  of  people,  but  more 
generally  among  the  peasantry  than  by  the  nobility.  It  is  a  dance 
of  couples,  or  rather  of  a  single  couple,  and  the  essential  points  of 
the  dance  are  that  both  must  be  in  Hungarian  costume  and  have  a 
gypsy  band.  The  dancers  stand  face  to  face  with  arms  a-kimbo,  and 
the  music  strikes  up,  very  slowly  at  first,  and  gradually  increasing. 
The  dancers  move  their  feet  in  time  with  the  music,  the  young  man 
approaches  the  girl,  who  skips  away  from  him ;  and  this  is  repeated  for 
some  time  in  a  teasing  kind  of  way  till  at  last  she  allows  him  to  grasp 
her  around  the  waist  and  swing  her  about  in  a  circle.  Then  they  take 
their  places  again,  and  the  performance  goes  on  very  much  as  before, 
with  the  difference  that  the  music  steadily  increases  in  rapidity,  and 
with  it  the  movements  of  the  dancers. 


A  POLYGLOT  OPERA. 


531 


"  The  second  evening  of  our  stay  in  Buda-Pesth  we  went  to  the  Na- 
tional Opera-house  to  listen  to  a  performance  in  Hungarian.  The 
opera  was  '  Mignon,'  and  the  rule  that  onty  the  Hungarian  language  is 
to  be  used  on  the  stage  of  the  National  Opera-house  was  so  far 
stretched  as  to  allow  the  character  of  Mignon  to  be  presented  in 
French,  while  the  principal  male  part  was  in  German.  This  made  a 
curious  mixture  of  languages  that  amused  us  very  much,  but  it  did  not 
draw  our  attention  from  the  music,  which  was  well  given  throughout. 
Of  course  we  don't  understand  Hungarian,  and  therefore  could  make 
nothing  of  the  dialogue,  and  for  this  reason  we  are  not  likely  to  spend 
an  evening  at  any  of  the  theatres  when  only  that  language  is  used. 

"  In  one  of  the  boxes  of  the  opera-house  was  a  Hungarian  nobleman 
in  his  national  dress,  and  the  box  was  situated  so  that  we  had  a  full 


DASCING    THE    "  CZARDAS." 


532       THE  BOY  TRAVELLERS  IN  CENTRAL  El' HOPE. 

view  of  him.  On  St.  Stephen's  day  the  noblemen  come  out  in  their  an- 
cient garments,  which  include  tight-fitting  trousers  tucked  into  cavalry 
boots,  richly  embroidered  coats,  and  fur-trimmed  dolmans.  Their  heads 
are  covered  with  round  hats  without  brims,  and  in  the  top  of  each  hat 
is  a  stiff  plume,  often  decorated  with  precious  stones.  If  the  man  has  a 
mustache,  and  he  generally  has,  and  often  a  large  and  fierce  one,  it  is 
waxed  and  twisted  so  that  the  ends  stand  out  either  horizontally  or 
with  an  upward  inclination.  The  Hungarians  are  fine  horsemen,  and  it 
is  a  pity  we  do  not  see  them  riding  through  the  streets  in  their  national 
dress,  which  seems  to  be  entirely  replaced  on  ordinary  days  by  the  coats 
and  other  garments  which  have  their  origin  in  London  or  Paris." 

"  Which  way  shall  we  go  from  here  ?"  said  Frank,  interrupting 
Fred  just  as  he  finished  the  foregoing  paragraph. 

"  I  don't  know,  I'm  sure.  Suppose  we  consult  the  ladies,  and  find 
out  what  they  would  like  to  do." 

"Very  well,"  said  Frank;  "they  are  in  the  parlor.  Come  along, 
and  we'll  talk  the  matter  over." 


THE    EXD. 


INTERESTING  BOOKS  FOR  BOYS. 


HARPER'S  YOUNG  PEOPLE:  Bound  Volumes  for  1884  and  1887.  Profusely  Illus- 
trated. Illuminated  Cloth,  S3  50  each.  Volume  XIII.  (for  1892)  ready  about  No- 
vember 20th.     The  other  volumes  are  out  of  stock. 

THE  "BOY  TRAVELLERS"  SERIES.     By  Thomas  W.  Knox.     Copiously  illustrated. 
-  Square  8vo,  Cloth,  Ornamental,  .$3  00  per  volume.      Volumes  sold  separately. 


Adventures  of  Two  Youths — 

In  Central  Europe. 

In  Northern  Europe. 

In  Great  Britain  and  Ireland. 

In  Mexico. 

In  Australasia. 

On  the  Congo. 


In  the  Russian  Empire. 
In  South  America. 
In  Central  Africa. 
In  Egypt  and  Palestine. 
In  Ceylon  and  India. 
In  Siam  and  Java. 


In  Japan  and  China. 

HUNTING  ADVENTURES  ON  LAND  AND  SEA.     By  Thomas  W.  Knox.     Two  Vol- 
umes.     Copiously  Illustrated.     Square  8vo,  Cloth,  Ornamental,  §2  50  each.      The  vol- 
umes sold  separately.     Each  volume  complete  in  itself. 
The  Young  Ximrods  in  North  America.    |    The  Young  Nimrods  Around  the  World. 

BY  CHARLES  CARLETON  COFFIN.  Eight  Volumes.  Illustrated.  8vo,  Cloth,  Orna- 
mental, Q3  00  each.      Volumes  sold  separately. 

The  Story  of  Liberty. — Old  Times  in  the  Colonies. — The  Boys  of  '76  (A  History  of  the 
Battles  of  the  Revolution). — Building  the  Nation. — Drum-beat  of  the  Nation. — Marching 
to  Victory. — Redeeming  the  Republic. — Freedom  Triumphant.  (The  last  four  volumes  form 
a  History  of  the  War  of  the  Rebellion. 

Nearly  Ready :  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

CITY  BOYS  IN  THE  WOODS;  or,  A  Trapping  Venture  in  Maine.  By  Henry  P. 
Wells.     Profusely  Illustrated.     Square  8vo,  Cloth,  Ornamental,  82  50. 

FLY-RODS  AND  FLY-TACKLE.  Suggestions  as  to  their  Manufacture  and  Use.  By 
Henry  P.  Wells.     Illustrated.     Square  Post  8vo,  Cloth,  Ornamental,  §2  50. 

THE  AMERICAN  SALMON-FISHERMAN.  By  Henry  P.  Wells.  Illustrated.  Square 
Post  8vo,  Cloth,  Ornamental,  SI  00. 

COUNTRY  COUSINS.  By  Ernest  Lngersoll.  Illustrated.  Square  Svo,  Cloth,  Or- 
namental, §2  50. 

FRIENDS  WORTH  KNOWING.  Glimpses  of  American  Natural  History.  By  Ernest 
Lngersoll.     Illustrated.     Square  16mo,  Cloth,  Ornamental,  $1  00. 

CAJIP  LIFE  IN  THE  WOODS,  AND  THE  TRICKS  OF  TRAPPING  AND  TRAP 
MAKING.     Written  and  Illustrated  by  W.  Hamilton  Gibson.     16mo,  Cloth,  $1  00. 

THE  STARTLING  EXPLOITS  OF  DR.  J.  B.  QUIES.  From  the  French  of  Paul 
ClElere.  By  Mrs.  C'ashel  Hoey:  and  Mr.  John  Lillie.  Profusely  Illustrated. 
Crovrn  8vo,  Extra  Cloth,  §1  75. 


Interesting  Books  for  Boys. 


HOWARD   PYLE'S    WORKS. 

Men  op  Ikon.     Illustrated  by  the  Author.     8ro,  Cloth,  Ornamental,  $2  00. 

A   Modern  Aladdin.      An  Extravaganza.     Illustrated  by  the  Author.     Post  8vo,  Clotb, 

Ornamental,  $1  25. 
The  Wonder  Clock;  or,  Four-and-Twenty  Marvellous  Tales:  being  One  for  each  Hour  of 

the  Day.    160  Drawings  by  the  Author.     Embellished  with  Versus  by  Katharine  I'vi.k. 

Large  Svo,  Cloth,  Ornamental,  §3  00. 
Pepper  and  Salt;  or,  Seasoning  for  Young  Folic.     Profusely  Illustrated  by  the  Author. 

4to,  Cloth,  Illuminated,  $2  00. 
The  Rose  ok  Paradise.     A  Story  of  Adventure.     Illustrated  by  the  Author.     Post  8vo, 
Cloth,  $1   25. 

"HARPER'S   YOUNG   PEOPLE"  SERIES.      Illustrated.      Square   16ms,  Cloth.  Orna- 
mental, SI  00  per  volume. 

The  Adventures  of  Jimmy  Brown.  Written  by  Himself,  and  Edited  by  W.  L.  Aloes. — 
The  Cruise  of  the  Canoe  Club.  The  Crdise  of  the  "Ghost"  The  Moral  Pirates.  The 
New  Robinson  Crusoe.  By  W.  L.  Ai.den. — Toby  Tyler;  or.  Ten  Weeks  with  a  Circus. 
Mr.  Stubbs's  Brother:  A  Sequel  to  "Toby  Tyler."  Tim  and  Tip;  or.  The  Adventures  01 
a  Boy  and  a  Doc.  Left  Behind  ;  or,  Ten  Days  a  Newsboy.  Raising  the  "Pearl."  Silent 
Pete.  By  James  Otis. — The  Story  of  Music  and  Musicians.  Jo's  Opportunity.  Rolf 
House.  Mildred's  Bargain,  and  Other  Stories.  Nan.  The  Colonel's  Money.  The 
Household  of  Glen  Holly.  By  Lucy  G  Lillie. — The  Four  Macnicols.  By  William 
Black. — The  Lost  City;  or,  The  Boy  Explorers  in  Central  Asia.  IntO  Unknown  Seas. 
By  David  Ker. — The  Talking  Leaves.  An  Indian  Story.  Two  Arrows  :  A  Story  of  Red 
and  White.  The  Red  Mustang.  By  W.  0.  Stoddard. — Who  Was  Paul  Grayson  ?  By 
John  Habberton,  Author  of  "  Helen's  Babies." — Prince  Lazybones,  and  Other  Stories.  By 
Mrs.  W.  J.  Hays. — The  Ice  Queen.  By  Ernest  Ingersoll. — Wakulla:  A  Story  of  Ad- 
venture in  Florida.  The  Flamingo  Feather.  Derrick  Sterling.  Chrystal,  Jack  &  Co., 
and  Delta  Bixby.  Dorymates.  By  C.  K.  Munroe. — Strange  Stories  from  History.  By 
George  Cary  Eggleston. — Uncle  Peter's  Trust.  By  George  B.  Perry. — Captain  Polly. 
By  Sophie  Swett. 

■•HARPER'S   YOUNG   PEOPLE "  (NEW)  SERIES.     Illustrated.     Post  Svo.  Cloth,  Or- 
namental, SI  25  per  volume. 

A  Boy's  Town.     Described  for  Harper's  Y'oung  People  by  W.  D.  Howells. 

Campmates.     By  Kirk  Munroe. 

Phil  and  the  Baby,  and  False  Witness.     By  Lucy  C.  Lillie. 

Flying-Hill  Farm.     By  Sophie  Swett. 

Diego  Pinzon.     By  J.  R.  Coryell. 

Canoemates.     By  Kirk  Munroe. 

Y'oung  Lucretia,  and  Other  Stories.     By  Mary  E.  Wilkins. 

SAMUEL   SlIILES'S   WORKS. 

Sele-Help. — Character. — Thrift. — Duty. — Men  of  Invention  and  Industry. — Life  and 
Labor;  or.  Characteristics  of  Men  of  Industry-, Culture,  and  Genius.  12mo, Cloth,  $1  00 
each.     Jasmin:  Barber,  Poet,  Philanthropist.     12mo,  Cloth,  $1   25. 

Round  the  World.  Including  a  Residence  in  Victoria,  and  a  Journey  by  Rail  across  North 
America.  By  a  Boy.  Edited  by  Samuel  Smiles. — Life  or  a  Scotch  Naturalist:  Thomas 
Edward,  Associate  of  the  Linnsean  Society.— Robert  Dick,  Baker  of  Thurso  :  Geologist 
and  Botanist.  James  Xasmyth,  Engineer.  An  Autobiography.  Edited  by  Samuel  Smiles. 
Illustrated.      12mo,  Cloth,  $1   50  each. 

The  Lives  of  the  Stephensons.  Comprising,  also,  a  History  of  the  Invention  and  Intro- 
duction of  the  Railway  Locomotive.     Illustrated.     Svo,  Cloth,  $3  00. 


Interesting  Books  for  Boys. 


CAMPAIGNING  WITH  CROOK,  and  Stories  of  Army  Life.  By  Captain  Charles  King, 
U.S.A.     Illustrated.     Post  8vo,  Cloth,  Ornamental,  $1  25. 

A  WAR-TIME  WOOING.  By  Captain  Charles  King,  U.S.A.  Illustrated  by  R.  F. 
Zogbaum.     Post  8vo,  Clotb,  Ornamental,  $1  00. 

BETWEEN  THE  LINES.  A  Story  of  the  War.  By  Captain  Charles  King,  U.S.A. 
Illustrated  by  Gilbert  Gaul.     Post  8vo,  Cloth,  Ornamental,  $1  25. 

FOLLOWING  THE  GUIDON.  By  Elizabeth  B.  Custer.  Illustrated.  Post  8vo, 
Cloth,  Ornamental,  §1  50. 

BOOTS  AND  SADDLES  ;  or,  Life  in  Dakota  Tvith  General  Custer.  By  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
B.  Custer.     With  Portrait  and  Map.     12mo,  Cloth,  Extra,  $1  50. 

FROM  THE  FORECASTLE  TO  THE  CABIN.  By  Captain  S.  Samuels.  Illustrated. 
12mo,  Cloth,  Extra,  |1  50. 

MICROSCOPY  FOR  BEGINNERS;  or,  Common  Objects  from  the  Ponds  and  Ditches. 
By  Alfred  Stokes,  M.D.     Illustrated.     12mo,  Cloth,  $1  50. 

THE  STORY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES  NAVY,  FOR  BOYS.  By  Benson  J.  Los- 
SING,  LL.D.     Illustrated.      12mo,  Half  Leather,  §1  75. 

THE  BOY'S  BOOK  OF  BATTLE  LYRICS.  By  TnoMAS  Dunn  English,  LL.D.  Illus- 
trated.    Square  8vo,  Illuminated  Cloth,  $2  00. 

THE  ADVENTURES  OF  A  YOUNG  NATURALIST.  By  Lucien  Biart.  With  117 
Illustrations.     12mo,  Cloth,  §1  75. 

AN  INVOLUNTARY   VOYAGE.     By  Lucien  Biart.     Illustrated.     12mo,  Cloth,  $1  25. 

ILLUSTRATED  HISTORIES.  By  Jacob  and  John  S.  C.  Abbott.  Illustrated  with 
numerous  Engravings.  16mo,  Cloth,  $1  00  per  vol.  The  volumes  may  be  obtained 
separately  ;  or  the  set  complete,  in  six  boxes,  $32  00. 

CYRUS  THE   GREAT. 
DARIUS  THE   GREAT. 
XERXES. 


ALEXANDER   THE   GREAT. 

ROMULUS. 

HANNIBAL. 

PYRRHUS. 

JULIUS   CESAR. 

CLEOPATRA. 

NERO. 

ALFRED   THE   GREAT. 

WILLIAM   THE   CONQUEROR. 

RICHARD   I. 

RICHARD   II. 

RICHARD   III. 

MARY   QUEEN   OF   SCOTS. 


QUEEN   ELIZABETH. 
CHARLES   I. 
CHARLES    II. 
JOSEPHINE. 
MARY   ANTOINETTE. 
MADAME   ROLAND. 
HENRY   IV. 

MARGARET   OF  ANJOU. 
PETER   THE   GREAT. 
GENGHIS   KHAN. 
KING  PHILIP. 
HERNANDO   CORTEZ. 
JOSEPH   BONAPARTE. 
QUEEN  HORTENSE. 
LOUIS  XIV. 
LOUIS   PHILIPPE. 


MARY  AND  MARTHA.  The  Mother  and  the  Wife  of  George  Washington.  By  Ben- 
son J.  Lossing,  LL.D.,  Author  of  "Field-book  of  the  Revolution,"  "Field-book  of 
the  War  of  1812,"  "  Cyclopaedia  of  United  States  History,"  etc.  Illustrated  by  Fac- 
similes of  Pen-and-ink  Drawings  by  H.  Rosa.     8vo,  Ornamental  Cloth,  $2  50. 


Interesting  Bonks  for  Hoys. 


DIDDLE,   DUMPS,  AND  TOT;    or,  Plantation  Child   Life.     By  LOU1SB  Clarke-  Pyr. 
Nelle.    Illustrated,     16mo,  Cloth,  $1  00. 

FRANCONIA  STORIES.    By  Jacob  Abbott.     Numerons  Illustrations.    Complete  in  10 
vols.,  lGmo,  Cloth,  75  cents  each.     The  volumes  may  he  ohtained  separately  :  or  the 

set  complete,  in  neat  case,  $7  50.     Also  teu  volumes  in  live  (mid  in  sets  only),  *5  00. 


MALLEVILLE. 
MARY  BELL. 
ELLEN  LINN. 
WALLACE. 

BEECHNUT. 


ST  CY  VESA  XT. 

AGNES. 

MARY  ERSKIXE. 

RODOLPHUS. 

CAROLINE. 


MARCO    PAUL'S    VOYAGES    AND    TRAVELS    IN    THE    PURSUIT    OF    KNOWL- 
EDGE.    By  Jacob  Abbott.    Illustrated.     Complete  in  (i  vols.,  16mo, Cloth,  75  cents. 

each.     The  volumes  may  he  ohtained  separately;  or  the  set  complete,  iu  neat  ease, 
$4  50. 


IN  NEW   YORK. 

ON   THE    ERIE   CANAL. 

IN    THE   FORESTS   OF  MAINE. 


IX    VERMONT. 

IN   BOSTON". 

AT   THE   SPRINGFIELD   ARMORY. 


STORIES  OF  RAINBOW  AND  LUCKY.  By  Jacob  Abbott.  Illustrated.  5  vols., 
ltimo,  Cloth,  75  cents  a  volume.  The  volumes  may  he  obtained  separately;  or  the 
set  complete,  iu  ueat  case,  $3  75. 

HANDLE.  I  SELLING   LUCKY'. 

RAINBOW'S   JOURNEY.  UP  THE   RIVER. 

THE   THREE   PINES. 

SCIENCE  FOR  THE  YOUNG.  By  Jacob  Abbott.  Illustrated.  4  vols.,  12mo,  Cloth, 
$1  50  each. 


HEAT. 
LIGHT. 


WATER   AND    LAND. 
FORCE. 


AFRICAN  ADVENTURE   FOR  THE  YOUNG.     By  Paul  B.  Du  Chaillu.     Illustrated. 
12mo,  Cloth,  Ornamental,  $1  00  per  volume.     (Sold  in  sets  only.) 


STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY. 
THE  COUNTRY  OF  THE  DWARFS. 


WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 
MY  APINGI  KINGDOM. 


LOST  IN  THE  JUNGLE. 

HOW   TO   GET   STRONG,  AND   HOW  TO   STAY   SO.     By  William  Blaikie.     lfimo, 
Cloth,  $1  00. 

SOUND   BODIES    FOR    OUR    BOYS    AND    GIRLS.      By   William    Blaikie.      With 
many  Illustrations.     16mo,  Cloth,  40  cents. 

THE    CHILDREN   OF   OLD   PARK'S  TAVERN.     A  Story  of  the  South   Shore.     By 
Frances  A.  Humphrey.     lGmo,  Cloth,  §1  00. 


Published  by  HARPER  &  BROTHERS,  New  York. 

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States,  Canada,  or  Mexico,  on  receipt  of  the  price. 


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Semendria 


BUCHAREST* 


S      E     R    V\  T     A 


Widin  £  J>rt£^iC  s . 


Scale  of  Miles. 


0      10    20    30   40    50 


Greenwich.       20 


